California will phase out linear fluorescent lighting starting in 2024

The bill states that no Screw base or Bayonet base compact fluorescent lamps will be available or final sold as newly manufactured products on or after January 1, 2024; Pin base compact fluorescent lamps, linear fluorescent lamps, or final sales as newly manufactured products will not be available on or after January 1, 2025. The following lamps are exempt from the Act:

1. Lights for image capture and projection

2. Lamps with high UV emission ratio

3. Lamps used for medical or veterinary diagnosis or treatment, or lamps used for medical instruments

4. Lamps for manufacturing or quality control of pharmaceutical products

5. Lamps for spectroscopy and optical applications

The media pointed out that in the past, fluorescent lights were allowed and even promoted because they were the most energy-efficient lighting technology of the time, even though they contained mercury, which was harmful to the environment. In the past decade, LED lighting has gained popularity as a highly efficient and low-cost alternative to fluorescent lighting because it uses half as much electricity as fluorescent lighting. AB2208 is a major climate protection measure that will significantly save electricity and carbon dioxide emissions. Reduce the use of fluorescent lamps and accelerate the popularity of LED lighting.

Vermont voted to phase out compact fluorescent bulbs in 2023 and 4-foot linear fluorescent bulbs in 2024. With the passage of AB-2208, California becomes the second U.S. state to pass a ban on fluorescent lighting. In contrast to Vermont, the California bill also adds 8-foot linear fluorescent lamps to the list of products to be eliminated.

According to foreign media observation, more and more places around the world began to pay attention to LED lighting technology, and eliminate the use of fluorescent lamps containing mercury. In December, the European Union announced that it would ban the sale of virtually all fluorescent lamps containing mercury by September 2023. In addition, as of March this year, a total of 137 local governments had voted to phase out compact fluorescent lamps by 2025 through the Minamata Convention on Mercury.