The star on the Franklin mountain is a city icon. Recently, the City Council voted to take over paying for the lighting of the star with some stipulations on the lease to be worked out. The cost to the City annually will be $45,000. The star (hundreds of CFLs - compact florescent lights strung on wires) is managed by the El Paso Electric Company. The Chamber of Commerce has been responsible for its upkeep. The land is owned by George M. Salom Jr. and is valued at $46,389. The popularity of the star is attested to by the recent outcry to continue its lighting night after night after night.One big problem: the mountainside below the star is littered with broken CFLs (compact florescent lights) and CFLs contain mercury - a deadly neurotoxin that can affect the brain, liver and kidneys, and cause developmental disorders in children.
If the tubes are broken (and many are below the star), then mercury is released. Arguably a single CFL does not contain enough mercury to be hazardous if handled correctly. There are about 5 milligrams of Hg (mercury) in a CFL. If you break one in your home, there are precautions that you can take to clean it up. You don't have to call an environmental clean-up crew wearing Hazmat suits. (See Snopes for more information about the safety and clean-up of florescent lights in your home.)Even though El Paso has no rule for the disposal of CFLs, the city does accept them at hazardous waste collection sites. Frankly, all CFLs should be taken to such sites because they easily break in the trash bins or the garbage trucks.
CFLs are more energy efficient and should be preferred over incandescents. They require on an average about one-fourth of the energy to produce an equivalent amount of the light of an incandescent bulb.
It is also true that the manufacture of incandescent bulbs actually pollutes the environment with more mercury since the electricity used in manufacturing them comes principally from burning coal which contains mercury. (Incandescent bulbs themselves do not contain Hg.)
The concern is not the minimal amount of mercury in a single CFL that is easily cleaned up at home or the office, nor the manufacturing of incandescent bulbs, nor even the question of energy efficiency. The concern is the quantity of broken CFLs over time in a small area - for example, a city dump or a mountainside below a star that is lit night after night after night.
Although minimal, 5 ml of Hg is enought to make up to 6,000 gallons of water unsafe to drink according to an MSNBC report. Obviously we are not dealing with a body of water. However, according to Bob Formisano for About.com, the "reason mercury is so dangerous to humans, wildlife and the environment is that mercury is toxic in many forms and can easily transfer from air to soil and to water. Mercury also bioaccumulates in living organisms and increases in toxicity levels as it moves up the food chain." Water does run off the mountain. Mercury vapor can be breathed in.
The bulbs used for the CFLs of the star are exposed to high winds. Although they have bell-shaped glass covers, many of those covers also litter the ground and have not been replaced.
Too many of the mountain star CFLs dangle on electrical tape alone.
A representative of the El Paso Electric Company was asked to comment but so far has not called back.
I think the star is an extravagance that the environment can no longer afford given the sustainability issues we are facing. All that light which is not serving a specific purpose is a waste of energy, resources, money, and labor. What would a person from rural India, Africa, or China think about this wasted light? (Thank you, Jim, for making the hike up there and taking photos.)
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe the wisdom behind this decision.
ReplyDeleteGood information, Jim. I have long wondered about all the ins and outs of keeping the star lit. We came in 1978 and the star, if I remember correctly, was lit only at Christmas to represent the Star of Bethlehem. Then during the Iran Hostage Crisis (Jimmy Carter, President) it was kept lit in honor of the hostages. Then, after they were released (the 1st day of Reagan's presidency) it was decided to simply keep it lit everyday. The odd thing about the star is that it's not really visible from too many places in the city. The best place to see it is in Juarez, and if it's supposed to be emblematic of the Star of Bethlehem, it's ironic that the wise men with their package of goodies and their thoroughly foreign demeanor and appearance would have a tough time crossing the border.
ReplyDeleteI am opposed to keeping the star lit year-round; in my mind it's an incredible waste of energy, regardless of the source. The star is a nice local treat and its significance should again be reserved for special occasions (an entirely different issue).
ReplyDeleteHowever, I am not in absolute agreement with the argument that Mercury poisoning as a result of the broken CFL bulbs on the mountain is such a major issue. In order to be poisoned, one must be exposed to the poison. True, that it does not take much mercury to be poisoned, but the average citizen of the El Paso region is not likely to ever be exposed to the mercury from the CFLs in the star, even if they hike there...which technically is trespassing, as the guards will tell you.
The exposure pathways from the broken light bulb on the side of the Franklin mountain to the glass of water in your kitchen or air in your child's school is far more complex and subject to dilution than the broken CFL in your hall light and the thermometer in the medicine cabinet at your mom's house.
Of greater concern to me is the litter caused by the neglectful care of the facility to begin with. The actual litter of the broken bulbs is much more unsightly and far more likely to find it's way into the mouth of wildlife than any person is likely to get even 1 drop of possibly slightly contaminated water in their system...Nobody is drinking run-off from the road on Scenic Drive are they?
I am generally in favor of any cause for getting the star turned off and saved for Christmas time or national crisis, but not at the expense of another unjustified local scare over heavy metals that have far less potential of affecting us than the smoke and soot we breath as a result of the activities happening on the other side of the wall of shame, while (as pointed out in Bobby's post above) they enjoy the view of our belligerent display of energy consumption.
I would be good with only lighting the Star over the Christmas holidays, as it used to be when I was growing up.
ReplyDeleteLight Emitting Diode (LED) light bulbs - which have strong plastic covers, are now being sold almost as cheap as compact florescent Lights (CFL) bulbs which contain small amounts of Mercury.
LED's contain no mercury, and are not toxic.
A 60 Watt LED Light bulb only uses 2 watts while a comparable 60 watt CFL Bulb uses 12 watts of electricity. This is a big electric saving.
LED's bulbs of all types are available at Cosco and Sam's in packs of 3 for $14, and direct from manufacturers over the internet.
for the earth,
-bill addington
El Paso & Sierra Blanca
I think we need to go a step further: discontinue the star altogether. As Mike said, it is a "belligerent display of energy consumption" and it should be a source of embarrassment to the citizens of El Paso. The energy and labor involved in maintaining the star, as well as the bulbs, wire, and other materials are wasteful of our finite resources.
ReplyDeleteI recommend that the star's functioning CFLs be given free to the poor so they can reduce their electric bills. Wire in good shape and any other materials should be re-used for the benefit of the community. Then, the star area should be cleaned up and returned as much as possible to its original state. That should be funded by El Paso Electric as they have been the entity responsible for maintenance of the site.
I'm certain this will be unpopular. However, let us be mindful that the environment and the poor are the ones to bear our extravagantly wasteful actions. Neither one can bear it much longer.
I still think that cities need their icons.
ReplyDeleteYou all think the star is bad. what about Las Vegas NV.? The star on the mountain probably uses as much electricity to light up as one bathroom in a casino uses. Maybe not even that much! Instead of taking it down just take a step forward and use LED's.
ReplyDelete