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The Right To Know...

Evidently the Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) Marketing and Communications team's information blitz on the imminent power supply shortages and its national appeal to all Batswana to use energy efficiently is in oredr. However, closer observation of the recent BPC advertisements in the print and electronic media encouraging the nation to switch from incandescent bulbs to Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs) revals a curious spectacle. My initial impression of the advert was, Wow! here's a company that is indeed, 'committed to serve' and is doing its bit to cut carbon dioxide emissions by promoting the switch to a more energy efficient lighting system.

The corporation's public education initiative which educates the nation on the importance of saving power and money at a time when Botswana and the SADC region are faced with a looming energy crisis is spot on. Surely by splashing out on advertising space for it's, 'national electricity efficiency campaign' that promotes energy efficient technologies BPC has come to the party and put its money where its mouth is, or so I thought.

However a closer look at the corporation's commercial message revealed some disturbing observations. The advert places a lot more emphasis on the cost benefits of the use of CFLs omitting critical information on the metallic properties of the bulbs and their potential threat to human health and the environment. BPC omits to inform the public that these bulbs contain mercury. Mercury, which is an essential element of the CFL without which it would not operate, is a highly toxic metallic element making the domestic product a heightened human health and pollution risk when mishandled or inappropriately disposed of.

According to the Environmental Health School of Harvard University, while the amount of mercury used in the production of a CFL is at most 6mg, the average mercury content in these lamps is 4 mg. These are negligible quantities by industry standards, but without sounding alarmist, the hazardous nature of CFLs, and the potential harmful effects they have on human health and the environment (however minimal) calls for a more conscientious campaign that informs and provides clear and reasonable warnings on the potentially harmful effect of the product.

The stealth marketing employed by BPC on this campaign is therefore incomprehensible. It is disingenuous for BPC to withhold crucial information on the hazardous properties of CFL's and omit to inform the public on the proper handling and disposal of this potentially harmful product. The campaign is deceptive, and feeds into long held perceptions that corporations put profits before people. Such oversight, if that's what it is, constitutes criminal neglect.

We live in an era of pervasive information, some of which with dubious credentials. The ordinary folk would not know better, and rely on authorities like the BPC to sieve chuff from the substance. BPC's silence on the matter only fuels rumours, innuendo and misinformation. In the midst of a raging global debate on the benefits and risks of CFLs there have emerged diametric contradictions on the issue. It is especially the CFL's mercury content that is the bone of contention and this calls for the corporation's campaign to be pitched at addressing the markets safety concerns. After all, advertising is a service to the public and, as such, should be informative, factual and honest.

BPC has a responsibility for the safety of the public with regard to its products and services. Notwithstanding the absence of an Advertising Standards Authority nor a code of Advertising Practice (MISA Botswana and the Botswana Bureau of Standards should take note), BPC is obliged to abide by an ethical code that protects the consumer and ensures professionalism of the trade. The corporation is obliged to avail more information on the health and environmental risks posed by CFL's.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 'mercury is the most toxic non-radioactive metal in the environment'. The organization lists mercury as a poison that is highly toxic to humans and states that ANY AMOUNT of the substance is harmful to the cells and tissues of human beings. The assessment by WHO is that there is no safe level of mercury for human beings. Mercury is a poisonous metal which results in degenerative diseases in all living cells, 'it has no amount of safe levels or forms of absorption'.

A recent BBC report announced that notwithstanding mercury's toxic properties, the substance which is also found in a natural state in the soil, has been processed and used in a wide variety of industrial applications, sanitary products, cosmetics, mobile phones, pharmaceutical medicines, dental fillings and even certain foods like large ocean fish (swordfish and tuna). The report goes on to state that inorganic mercury can be ingested or inhaled through the air, food, water, and soil and that the human body can even absorb it through our skin. The conclusion from the BBC report suggests that CFL is a necessary evil as perhaps its benefits outweigh the risks. However, while industry has down played the toxicity of mercury by stating that this depended on its chemical form and levels of exposure, concern of its presence in the CFLs remains because mercury is a well known deadly neurotoxin, 'which accumulates in the body, especially the brain with repeated exposure posing a bigger threat'.

The mercury content of CFLs also present a challenge with the disposal of the bulbs and their proliferation will certainly alter the composition of household waste and pose an obvious health threat that may emerge as a result of mercury poisoning or the degradation of the environment if improperly handled. These are the cold facts that the BPC campaign withheld from the public, facts that are crucial for the consumer to make informed decisions, facts that could have dispelled prevailing misconceptions and fears, facts that could save lives and our fragile environment.

BPC should take a leaf from global trends with regard the introduction of CFL's. In the UK for instance, the Environmental Agency is pushing for legislation that educates the public on the toxic properties of CFL's and on the proper handling and disposal of CFLs bulbs.

This is done through placing warning on the health and environmental risks posed by CFL's on the products packaging. Information on how to clear up smashed bulbs in the home and disposal of the bulbs is also provided. Should a CFL break, care should be taken when cleaning up and the following steps should be taken;

* Do not allow children or pregnant women to enter the affected area
* The room must be vacated for at least 15 minutes
* Open windows and allow air to circulate in the affected area
* Care should be taken not to inhale the dust
* Rubber gloves should be used
* Sweep up all the glass fragments and phosphor powder (do not vacuum)
* Place debris into a sealed plastic bag
* Wipe the area with a damp paper towel to pick up stray shards of glass or fine particles and
place the used towel in the plastic bag as well

Tigele Mokobi
Maun
Botswana