LED (light emitting diode) lights are becoming increasingly popular, as they use less electricity and generally last longer than the traditional general service incandescent bulbs. They are especially being used for decoration, security and task lighting.

One concern with LED lights is in their handling and disposal. The recommended disposal of LED's is recyling, but without much information about how to do so they most likely end up in household garbage and landfills.

We have communicated with several LED manufacturers who indicated that bulbs should only be "recycled", but no one has been able to tell us a convenient place to do so.

The internet does contain some information on LED recycling, but not seem to be any particular locations that accept them. You may need to call your local hardware, lighting or home improvement store to check their recycling availability.

Check these articles for some additional information;

http://www.ledinside.com/knowledge/2012/7/what_is_led

https://recyclenation.com/2015/01/how-to-recycle-light-bulbs/

Thinking of using LED's as grow lights?  Read this first!

LEDs Made in the U.S.A.

We have been searching some time for A-19 shape LEDs made in the United States, and a customer recently made us aware of a company located in Pennsylvania doing just that. Ledvance has upgraded their St. Marys traditional light bulb manufacturing facility and will now be assembling LED bulbs there, which retains 200 American jobs. They are in a joint venture with WalMart, so for the time being the bulbs will only be available in their stores. Ledvance has said that bulbs may be available to other wholesalers/retailers later. We continue to seek information from them on increased availablilty. Read one article about the new LEDs here.

A University of California study found that LED lights (or their related parts) contain toxic metals, and should be produced, used and disposed of carefully as hazardous waste.

Read about the study here.

Also...when shopping for LED lighting and fixtures you may find a packaging label similar to the following;

"This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, and/or other reproductive harm. Thoroughly wash hands after installing, handling, cleaning or otherwise touching this product".

This particular label was observed on LED packaging in South Carolina. The State of California has more stringent standards than the rest of the country concerning LED lighting. We encourage you to read the studies and articles available concerning the handling and disposal of LED lights, and make your own determination about their use. We would recommend that you attempt to recycle all LED lighting, rather than place it in garbage that goes to a landfill.

DOE Tests Performance of High-Efficacy LEDs

Read the complete article from the July 26, 2018 issue of the Electrical Construction & Maintenance (EC&M) magazine here.

Lumen Maintenance is something to be aware of...

LED lumens decrease with usage, and are affected by heat. Regardless of the lumens output (even at zero) the unit continues to draw the same wattage. Read more about it here.

That 60W-equivalent LED: What you don’t know, and what no one will tell you…  click here

Color Rendering Index (CRI)...

LED's most often emit a brighter bluish-white light (higher color temperature) and generally fall in a color rendering index(CRI) range of around 70-80, with natural light and incandescent at 100 CRI. Skin, paints. clothing and upholstery materials will appear different under LED lighting , so be sure to compare things under the same lighting that you have in your home or business.

Important Recalls:

Osram Sylvania Recalls T8 LEDs *

Osram Sylvania and the U.S. Consumer Safety Commission announced a recall on almost 50,000 T8 LED lamps due to concerns about burns. According to the CPSC, the lamps can overheat and melt, posing a burn hazard. The company received 34 reports of overheating and melting. No injuries have been reported. About 43,600 of the units, made in South Korea, have been sold in the U.S., and an additional 8,700 in Canada through Osram Sylvania industrial and commercial distributors between Dec. 2014 and May 2015.

For more information, go to www.sylvania.com and click on the site map in the bottom righthand corner, then click on "Recall Safety Information".

* From the October 2015 issue of Electrical Wholesaling

GE Recalls T8/T12 LED Tube Lamps sold through Lowe's*

GE Lighting, Nela Park, OH, issued a recall through the U.S. Consumer Safety Commission (CPSC) regarding LED tube lamps sold in two-packs through Lowe's stores nationwide. The pins on one end of the Cool White Universal T8/T12 LED tube lamps can be energized during installation or removal, posing electric shock and electrocution hazards.

No injuries have been reported related to the hazard, according to the CPSC website.  GE Lighting is offering refunds for the recalled product, about 46,000 of which have been sold through Lowe's stores or the company's Lowes.com website from Nov. 2017 through April 2018 for about $15. The lamps are manufactured in China.

Anyone seeking more information can find it at the Product Safety Information section of the GE Lighting website at www.gelighting.com.

* From the July 2018 issue of Electrical Wholesaling