Enviro

broken CFLs can be an important source of exposures to mercury, a toxic

metal and a key component of compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs).

Although

mercury is a toxic pollutant, mercury exposures from broken CFLs are not likely to harm you and your family

key component of compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs

amount and duration of your exposures and the specific type of mercury that you are exposed to

This is due to several factors, including the

Once spilled, you can be exposed to elemental mercury by touching

it, after which it can be eaten and/or absorbed through your skin.

More importantly for health

you can also be exposed to mercury through the air, as

elemental mercury vaporizes readily (essentially becomes a gas) and can thus be inhaled into your lungs. Breathing elemental mercury into your lungs is generally more dangerous than if you ate the mercury or absorbed it through your skin. Once inhaled, the mercury vapor can damage the central nervous system, kidneys, and liver.

These toxic effects are why any mercury spill should be handled carefully, including one that results from a CFL breaking

This is because CFLs contain relatively small amounts of mercury -- EPA estimates this amount to be 4-5 milligrams (mg) in a typical CFL

. A spill of this amount of mercury is not likely to present any excess risk to you or your family

Under these relatively conservative assumptions, this level and duration of mercury exposure is not likely to be dangerous, as it is lower than the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard of 0.05 mg/m3 of metallic mercury vapor averaged over eight hours. [To equate these values, we could estimate the average indoor airborne mercury concentration for 8 hours, beginning post-spill at an estimated starting value of 0.2 mg/m3 and decreasing from there. If one assumes the the air exchanges completely in one hour (a fairly standard assumption), then the 8-hour average concentration would be 0.025 mg/m3.]

Even though mercury from the broken CFL is not likely to be dangerous, it would be wise to take extra precautions to minimize mercury exposures

The US EPA publishes guidelines about the specific steps that you should take to clean up mercury in the event that a CFL breaks in your home

Briefly, EPA recommends that (1) you immediately open windows to reduce mercury concentrations inside your home; (2) you do not touch the spilled mercury; (3) you clean up the broken CFL glass carefully and immediately (but not with your hands or a vacuum cleaner), and (4) you wipe the affected area with a paper towel to remove all glass fragments and mercury. EPA further recommends that you place the paper towel and glass fragments in a sealed plastic bag and bring the sealed bag to your local Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)Collection Site.

Mercury in CFLs are present as elemental (or metallic)

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Eat food (especially fish) or drink water that has been contaminated by mercury

Absorb mercury through the skin. Glass thermometers contain mercury that should be cleaned up properly

Eat objects that contain mercury. For example, small children may eat batteries that contain mercury. Broken high power lights and long fluorescent tubes can also contain mercury. Small amounts of mercury from these sources may be ingested accidentally.

Minamata Bay (Japan): Organic mercury was dumped into Minamata Bay in the 1950s. Fish in the bay were contaminated and about 2,000 people who ate these fish became poisoned. About 7% of the children born to mothers who ate contaminated fish had neurological problems. Symptoms in these children included uncoordinated movement, abnormal reflexes, seizures and speech problems. Some adults also had neurological problems such as visual disorders, shaking (tremors), weakness, nausea, hearing loss, depression, confusion, loss of appetite and memory problems. A total of 46 people died as a result of mercury exposure.

Iraq: In 1972, approximately 6,500 people fell ill and 459 people died after eating bread baked with wheat contaminated with a mercury-based fungicide.

Faroe Islands (North Atlantic): A study started in 1984 investigated the effects of methyl mercury exposure on children born to mothers who ate contaminated whale meat. Researchers found that children (seven years old) who were born to mothers with a 10-20 ppm mercury count had lower language, attention and memory scores than those children born to mothers with lower mercury levels. Interestingly, a study performed in the Seychelles Islands (Indian Ocean) did not reveal any effects on children born to mothers who had mercury hair levels of 10 ppm.

Take off any jewelry so you don't contaminate it. Scoop up the mercury with a sheet of cardboard. Place the mercury in a small bottle or vial. Cap the bottle or vial. Dispose of the bottle or vial properly. Many communities have special hazardous waste disposals or pick-up locations. Wash your hands! NEVER use a vacuum cleaner to clean up mercury spills. A vacuum cleaner will get contaminated and will spread mercury vapors into the air.

if mercury is made airborne into small, little droplets and breathed

Unfortunately, yes. Compact fluorescent lights are filled with, among other things, poisonous Mercury in gaseous form. If these bulbs are dropped or break, this Mercury is released into the surrounding atmosphere.

“When they are broken indoors, [CFL] bulbs may emit sufficient mercury vapor to present health concerns, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends evacuating and airing out a room for at least 15 minutes after breaking a fluorescent light bulb.

A 1987 report described a 23-month-old toddler who suffered irritability, anorexia, profuse sweating, weight loss, and peeling/redness of the fingers and toes.

a carton of 8-foot fluorescent light bulbs that had broken in a potting shed adjacent to the main nursery.

This case of acrodynia was traced to exposure of mercury from

The glass was cleaned up and discarded, but the child often used the area for play.”

For normal sized adults, breaking a fluorescent light or two simply involves evacuating a room, airing it out, and dealing with small amounts of mercury poisoning.

No big deal right. Just some mercury poisoning.

Everyday stuff. Just evacuate the room for a while, then back to work…

For small children and pets, mercury poisoning can be fatal.

But don’t worry, the manufacturers of CFL Light Bulbs assure you that it’s not enough mercury to actually kill your children. Oh good…

I’ll Choose the Non-Poisonous LED Light Bulbs!

A 1987 report described a 23-month-old toddler who suffered anorexia, weight loss, irritability, profuse sweating, and peeling and redness of fingers and toes. This case of acrodynia was traced to exposure of mercury from a carton of 8-foot fluorescent light bulbs that had broken in a potting shed adjacent to the main nursery. The glass was cleaned up and discarded, but the child often used the area for play.

Wash your hands after disposing of the bag. The first time you vacuum the area where the bulb was broken, remove the vacuum bag once done cleaning the area (or empty and wipe the canister) and put the bag and/or vacuum debris, as well as the cleaning materials, in two sealed plastic bags in the outdoor trash or protected outdoor location for normal disposal.

WASHINGTON - Brandy Bridges heard the claims of government officials, environmentalists and retailers like Wal-Mart all pushing the idea of replacing incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving and money-saving compact fluorescent lamps.So, last month, the Prospect, Maine, resident went out and bought two dozen CFLs and began installing them in her home. One broke. A month later, her daughter's bedroom remains sealed off with plastic like the site of a hazardous materials accident, while Bridges works on a way to pay off a $2,000 estimate by a company specializing in environmentally sound cleanups of the mercury inside the bulb.

News reports claim that if a Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb (CFL) is broken, it can release dangerous levels of mercury into the house and a professional environmental cleanup crew is required to handle the problem (Full commentary below).