The new light bulbs are here – and we’ve got a potential problem...

CFL light bulbs are already starting to phase out some of the incandescent bulbs we’re all used to...

And now the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is reporting some complaints about them. Some consumers have reported CFLs emitting smoke or a burning odor. There have even been a few reports of the CFLs catching fire. CFLs use electricity to heat an element in the base that leads the mercury vapor gas in the coils to emit light. However, when a CFL can no longer produce light, the electronics in the base still try to function and in some cases could lead to overheating.

GE’s website has the following information. The failure of some electrical components can result in an audible "popping" or "sizzling" sound. At the first sign of any odor, smoke or erratic behavior - disconnect power to the lamp, allow it to cool and unscrew it from the socket by the handling the base, not by the glass. Do not throw CFLs away in your household garbage if better disposal options exist. Go to www.earth911.org to find disposal options by zip code, or call 1-800-CLEAN-UP for local disposal options.