For economic and health reasons, the Lagos State Government has urged individuals, businesses, and public buildings to adopt the retrofitting effort and switch from mercury-based fluorescent lamps and bulbs to Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, represented by the Director of Medical Administration and Training, Dr. Olufunmilayo Sokunbi, made this call during a briefing on the completion of the retrofitting of the Folarin Coker Staff Clinic of the Lagos State Government by SRADeV Nigeria, under the aegis of the Clean Lighting Support for Building Retrofit Pilot of Clean Lighting Coalition (CLiC).
Speaking on the benefit of switching to LED lightning, the Perm Sec said switching to LED would reduce electricity cost by 50 percent and also enhance illumination quality in all rooms, improve employee productivity and reduce maintenance costs due to longevity and durability of LEDs.
The Perm Sec further disclosed that the switch to LED light aligned with the second pillar of the states T.H.E.M.E.S. developmental agenda.
“This campaign to eliminate use of mercury-based bulbs (CFLs) is important to our healthy living condition as it prevents chronic diseases and effects of exposure to mercury, such as neurological and behavioural disorders, kidney damage, reproduction defects and others,” the representative of the perm sec at the event said.
“The retrofit initiative, which is basically ‘transition to LED,’ is a welcome initiative of the state as it relates to the second pillar of the T.H.E.M.E.S. developmental agenda and it is also aimed at eliminating toxic mercury in lighting through the Minamata Convention on Mercury,” she added.
Also speaking at the briefing, the Executive Director, SRADeV Nigeria, Dr Leslie Adogame, called on the government at federal and state levels to make compulsory the immediate inclusion of efficient energy usage in various policy action plans, building codes, while the standards agency reviews existing standards to cater for the performance, quality standards for Lightings.
Dr Adogame said that the retrofitting of the hospital saved its electricity cost by 50 per cent reducing its consumption from 4,751 kWh per month to 2,393 kWh, adding that the complete elimination of mercury from the lighting used in the clinic will further prevents risk of mercury exposure to staff and patients.
“I, therefore, seize this opportunity to call on federal and state governments to include immediate inclusion of efficient energy usage (Clean Lighting) in various policy action plans, building codes, while the standards agency reviews existing standards to cater for the performance, quality standards for Lightings,” Adogame said.
The switch to LED complies with World Health Organisation (WHO) environmental standards in the reduction/elimination of mercury-based lighting products in accordance with Nigeria’s National Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Policy (NREEEP) to ensure a cleaner and healthier environment for Nigerians, as well as the safe disposal and recycling of the CFL bulbs removed from the clinic.
By Emeka Ayo Joseph
