Benefits of Mercury Free

This video details the benefits of going mercury free through Green Light Microscopy! Take a look:

Mercury | Metal-Halide | LED

LIGHT SOURCE	PROS	CONS
Mercury	Available in most laboratories Bright (50-200 watts) with intense peaks at specific wavelengths	Bulb cost $1/hour ~ 200 hour bulb lifespan Frequent bulb changes Bulb alignment Intensity decays and can flicker as bulbs age Mercury containing waste
Metal-Halide	More uniform intensity output than mercury No bulb alignment Minimal intensity decay ~2000 hour bulb lifespan	Bulbs cost $0.40/hour Light guides decay and need to be replaced (~$2000) Mercury containing waste
LED	Discrete color peaks Excitation filters not always necessary Fast switching on and off No intensity decay ~20 000 hour lifespan Precise control of intensity No bulbs	Some LEDS have broad emission so excitation filters are required

Benefits

ACADEMIC RESEARCH BENEFITS

LED light sources are ideal for live-cell imaging with no IR or UV output
LED light sources have consistent intensity output on all time scale tests that ensures data quantification is consistent and accurate

ECONOMIC BENEFITS

Save time and money: No bulbs to purchase, change, or align
Mercury bulbs have a lifespan of 200 hours; LED light sources have a lifespan of 20,000 hours
- 100 mercury bulbs = 1 LED light source
Return on investment:
- $200/mercury bulb, 100 bulbs = $20,000
- LED Retrofit = $5000-$6000

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

Saves hundreds of mercury containing bulbs from the waste stream
110 mg mercury/bulb, 110 bulbs = 12 g of mercury
Reduce power consumption
- Upwards of 95% (sources turned on and off during experiments)

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