Intact bulbs can be a headache to dispose of, too. "We've found that the plastic bags actually don't contain any mercury fumes, so absolutely, if you've got the plastic bag, get it outside when you're done." Vacuums or brooms should generally be avoided, as they can spread mercury to other parts of the house. "If it gets in the jar, that's pretty good containment," Berlow states. All materials should be placed in a sealable plastic bag or, even better, in a glass jar with a metal lid. Use sticky tape or duct tape to pick up smaller fragments then, on hard surfaces, wipe down the area with a damp paper towel or a wet wipe. After airing out the room, the larger pieces of the bulb should be scooped off hard surfaces with stiff paper or cardboard or picked up off carpeted surfaces with gloves to avoid contact. The important thing is not to touch the heavy metal. If you have a central heating system or an HVAC system, you don't want it sucking the fumes around, so shut that down." "Get all the people and pets out of the room for 15 minutes and let the room air out. "Any problems at all frequently are handled for the most part by quickly ventilating the room," he says. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Hazardous Waste Minimization and Management Division, recommends starting by opening the windows and stepping outside. (In the Maine case, the state acknowledges providing the referral but insists the homeowner was informed that such a step was unnecessary.) State and federal government agencies say that breakages, though deserving of caution, can usually be cleaned up inexpensively with household goods. At least one case of mercury poisoning has been linked to fluorescents: A 1987 article in Pediatrics describes a 23-month-old who suffered weight loss and severe rashes after a carton of eight-foot (2.4-meter) tubular bulbs broke in a play area. Mercury escapes as vapor that can be inhaled and as a fine powder that can settle into carpet and other textiles. (A single thermostat switch, still common in many homes, may contain 3,000 milligrams (0.1 ounce) of mercury, or as much as 600 compact fluorescents.) That's why officials have curtailed or banned its use in applications from thermometers to automotive and thermostat switches. It is especially harmful to the brains of both fetuses and children. Mercury is essential to a fluorescent bulb's ability to emit light no other element has proved as efficient.Īs effective as it is at enabling white light, however, mercury-sometimes called quicksilver-is also highly toxic. Compact fluorescents, like their tubular fluorescent precursors, contain a small amount of mercury-typically around five milligrams. The answer lies in the type of bulb that broke-a compact fluorescent lightbulb-and what was inside that bulb. So why would a single broken bulb in a Maine household trigger the state's Department of Environmental Protection to refer the homeowner to a decontaminator? By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing.
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