Myths of Neon with the true facts

In today’s world we all try to be as environmentally conscious  as we can. LED manufactor’s & distributors have gained through their propaganda, a unfair believe that they far outclass Cold Cathode (neon) tubing as the most efficient source for signage illumination. Some of the points made by the LED industry are.

Myth 1./ LED’s do not contain mercury. But neon does
Fact
Fair point Cold Cathode does have mercury, but Neon does not! neon is a pure inert gas which is used for the red spectrum of lighting.
Also mercury is used in many other forms of lights fluorescent tubes & compact fluorescent bulbs are mercury vapourised.

BUT WITH LED’s MATERIALS SUCH ARSENIC,ANTIMONY,CHROMIUM & LEAD AS WELL AS OTHER TOXIC CHEMIALS 
SOMETIMES IN AMOUNTS EXCEEDING REGULATIONS ARE USED.
https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2012/5215/

Myth 2./ Neon is filled with noxious gases
Fact
This is their most blatant lie. The gases used in neon signs historically are Argon(Ar) Neon(Ne) where the name light comes from. And more modernly Krypton(Ky) Helium(He) & Xenon(Xe)
These are all inert (noble) gases obtained from the atmosphere. Also the neon tubes only have a small level of gases in the them using a unit measurement of Torr neon has up to 20Torr. When 760Torr is the level of the atmosphere
https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/noble_gas.htm

Myth 3./LED’s run of 12v as to the High Voltage of Cold Cathode.
Fact
The high voltage used for Cold Cathode (Neon) is not the same type used in transmission & other power source it uses magnetic
shunt technology to limit the current to produce 30milliamps which when translated to amps it is only 0.03 of an Amp. Both the power supply units for Neon & LED are powered by the same primary volts which is converted. Neon is also able to be run on 12vdc transformers & has even been powered by solar energy. The skipping girl in Melbourne Australia is one such example
http://www.skippinggirl.com.au/restoring/

Myth 4./ Cold Cathode (Neon) is not energy efficient
Fact
A 10Kv 30ma NTS transformer draws 1.2 amps 288 watts to operate but if Power Factor Corrected it draws 0.8 amps 192 watts
for 40ft/18mts of linear lumen output. When using a 10Kv Electronic Neon Transformer it draws 0.4amps 144watts to power
35ft/15mtrs of linear lumen output. \
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_sign

Myth 5./ Neon has a shorter life span.
Fact
Most indoor neon pieces are virtually maintenance free. The transformer or power supply can last up to fifteen years, if it is correctly matched to the neon display. The neon tubes do not burn out like incandescent or fluorescent bulbs, and will last twenty years or longer if they don't get broken. How long does a neon sign last?


Myth 6./ LED’s are more efficient than Cold Cathode (Neon) when it comes to watts per linear foot.
Fact 
Here is the real issue the LED industry always uses the worst case scenario for wattage consumption it uses the power usage of  NEON” not “Mercury Vapourised” tubes to compare as well as transformers not PFC (power factor correction). Also Cold Cathode
& Neon still give far more lumens per foot than LED’s, which means you compare light output to light output, Cold Cathode exceeds  that of LED’s for energy efficiency.

Myth 7./ LED’s are brighter than Cold Cathode (Neon).
Fact
LED’s do look bright than Neon but that is due to LED’s being smaller the same applies to the different size diameters of tubing
with neon 8/9mm tube is much brighter to the eye than the larger diameter tubes 15/18mm. the truth is the larger the tube the more light output is acheived know as lumems per foot.

Myth 8./ Mercury from old neon signs going into landfill to contaminate the environment.
Fact
Many recycling companies have made huge advances in being able to recycle mercury vapourised tubes.
Under environmental regulations in the State of California, most LEDs would be classified as hazardous waste