'Light-Fingered'

Gilz

We’ve all read the disturbing emails flying around regarding the dangers of CFL Mercury Light Bulbs and that they release dangerous amounts of mercury when broken.  Finally!  The true and false statements....

TRUE : CFLs contain mercury which is a potentially dangerous substance.

TRUE: While mercury stays safely contained in intact CFLs, it escapes from broken CFLs into the immediate surroundings.

FALSE : The amount of mercury contained in one CFL bulb poses a grave danger to a home's inhabitants.

TRUE : The breakage of a CFL bulb needs to be handled with care and certain procedures should be followed in removing the broken bulb and its contents from a home.

FALSE : The mercury dispersed by one broken CFL bulb needs to be dealt with only by an environmental clean-up crew.

What to do if you accidentally break a fluorescent bulb in your home:

The most important thing to remember is to NEVER use a vacuum cleaner.  A standard vacuum will spread dust containing mercury 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 areas with sticky side of duct, packing or masking tape.  Wipe the area with a damp cloth.
• Put all the waste materials used to clean up the bulb in a secure closed container and label it “Universal Waste – Broken Lamp”.  Do NOT throw it in your household dustbin.
• Take the container for recycling at universal wastes.  To determine where your town has made arrangements for recycling of this type of waste, call your Municipality or take them to your local Pick ‘n Pay  or Woolworths where they have in-store recycling bins.

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.

eWASA e-Waste Association of Southern Africa will also assist you with information regarding disposing of your other electronic equipment eg. Cell phones, computers, batteries, fridges, kettles, etc.

Read more at snopes.com: CFL Mercury Light Bulbs