Mercury fears in Low Energy Lights unfounded.
I was in a taxi the other day and the chap on the radio was going on about how low energy light bulbs contain mercury and how some poor woman broke one and was supposedly faced with a US$2000 clean up bill by a gang of people in those white suits you see in the movies. Myth Busting website Snopes has the truth on this crazy claim in a story Light Fingered.
[T]he amount [of mercury] housed in each bulb is very small, about
5 milligrams, which is about the size of the period at the end of a sentence. And, provided the bulbs aren’t broken open, none of that leaches into the home.Because there is such a small amount of mercury in CFLs, your greatest risk if a bulb breaks is getting cut from glass shards. Research indicates that there is no immediate health risk to you or your family should a bulb break and it’s cleaned up properly. You can minimize any risks by following these proper
clean-up and disposal guidelines:The most important thing to remember is to never use a vacuum. A standard vacuum will spread mercury containing dust throughout the area as well as contaminating the vacuum. What you should do is:
- Ventilate the area.
- If possible, reduce the temperature.
- Wear appropriate personal protective equipment, such as gloves, safety glasses, coveralls or old clothing, and a dust mask to keep bulb dust and glass from being inhaled.
- Carefully remove the larger pieces and place them in a secure closed container.
- Next, begin collecting the smaller pieces and dust. There are several ways to do this. You can use a disposable broom and dustpan, two stiff pieces of paper or one of the many commercial mercury spill kits available.
- Put all material into an airtight plastic bag. Pat the area with the sticky side of duct, packing or masking tape. Wipe the area with a damp cloth.
- Put all waste and materials used to clean up the bulb in a secure closed container and label it “Universal Waste - broken lamp”.
- Take the container for recycling as universal wastes. Remember, the next time you replace a bulb, be sure to put a drop cloth on the floor so that any accidental breakage can be easily cleaned up.
The lesson? When you hear outrageous claims on the radio on on TV, or in the newspaper, go to Snopes and check it out. — DS
ps: I first came to hear of Snopes after images of Osama bin Laden sitting with Bert the pigeon-loving muppet from Sesame Street started being waved about by angry protesters in the Middle East. I had always known that Bert is Evil! but it took Snopes to dig up the real truth.
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