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Benefits of Mercury Free

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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听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

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Benefits

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ACADEMIC RESEARCH听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听tests听that ensures data quantification is consistent and accurate

ECONOMIC BENEFITS听

  • Save time and money: No bulbs to purchase, change, or听align
  • Mercury bulbs have a lifespan of 200 hours;听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听turned on and off during experiments)

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