Step five: Let the room air out for another few hours. Step six: Dispose of the broken bulb. Compact fluorescent light bulbs CFLs contain small amounts of mercury. A small percentage of this mercury can be released into the air if the bulbs are broken. Mercury can cause poisoning in some circumstances. Even so, people are encouraged to replace their "old fashioned" incandescent bulbs with CFLs. Collect the following materials to clean up the broken bulb : Stiff paper or cardboard, sticky tape, damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes for hard surfaces and an airtight container, such as a glass jar with a metal lid or a resealable plastic bag.
Take immediate action if your halogen bulb shatters while in use: Prepare a fire extinguisher and have all people and pets leave the room. The glass fragments are extremely hot and may cause a fire if they come into contact with flammable materials see References 3. Are halogen bulbs dangerous if broken? Energy-efficient bulbs are more technologically advanced than traditional incandescent bulbs, but they are usually still made of glass.
This makes them breakable, and when they do break, they are more dangerous than incandescents. Halogen bulbs may be dangerously hot, creating a fire hazard see References 3. Does mercury vapor go away? Outdoors, mercury vapors tend to go away quickly, but indoors particularly with windows closed , mercury vapors will accumulate in the air.
The amount of mercury in a CFL may be up to about 5 milligrams mg. By contrast, a mercury-containing fever thermometer contained about mg. Mercury can cause poisoning in some circumstances. Even so, people are encouraged to replace their "old fashioned" incandescent bulbs with CFLs.
This is because much less environmental mercury is generated by the manufacture of CFLs than by the manufacture of incandescent bulbs. To minimize chances of any individual health problems, care should be taken when handling these bulbs to avoid breakage. Special steps are needed if a bulb breaks indoors. The risks to human health from individual broken CFLs is minimal; some scientists would argue that there are no real risks.
Care in disposing of broken bulbs and disposing of used bulbs is important to avoid environmental contamination. Manufacturers continue to reduce the amount of mercury contained in CFLs. Communities continue to revise their requirements for disposal of broken and burned-out bulbs as recycling technology evolves.
It is clear that these bulbs are here to stay and soon will be found in virtually every residence and business in the U. For questions about mercury or the health effects of broken light bulbs, call Here in Louisville, Ky. If you're in a situation like this, it's fine to hang on to that sealed up wreckage for a few days -- just be sure to keep it outside.
If this all sounds too high maintenance for your tastes, then know that you have other options. LEDs offer better energy efficiency, longer lifespans, and zero mercury inside the bulbs. If the higher price tag is a deal breaker, then consider halogens. The gas each one uses to prolong the bulb's lifespan is totally harmless.
A broken CFL might be an annoying chore to deal with, but it's also an opportunity to upgrade to a bulb that's a better fit for your home. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic.
We delete comments that violate our policy , which we encourage you to read. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. The amount of mercury in a CFL is very small, only milligrams. This is almost one thousand times less than what was in mercury thermometers! If a bulb breaks, only 0. In short, the exposure from breaking a compact fluorescent bulb is in about the same range as the exposure from eating a can or two of tuna fish.
See our list of " Best and Worst Seafood Choices " for more on mercury in fish. But how do you minimize even this tiny amount of risk? Remove children and pets from the room, and then clean up the broken bulb as quickly as possible.
First, increase the ventilation in the room where the bulb broke by opening windows and doors. Then use index cards or other stiff paper to pick up the broken pieces of glass and any visible mercury. To be extra safe, stay out of the area for a few hours to let any remaining mercury disperse. So what does mercury poisoning do to you, anyway? The symptoms are primarily neurological. A low level exposure like if you broke a dozen CFLs in your house every day for a couple of weeks would cause insidious symptoms — fatigue, memory problems, difficulty concentrating, and perhaps some mild clumsiness.
Higher exposures could give tremors, and mood or emotional disturbances. But this is never going to happen from dropping one CFL! And if despite your best efforts the bulbs end up breaking in a landfill, using CFLs should still cause a net decrease in mercury in the environment. Because they so dramatically reduce energy use, and coal-generated electricity releases much more mercury than a CFL ever could.
The phrase "contains mercury" sounds alarming, but there is very little risk in the tiny amount of mercury in CFLs, and the benefit to the environment of using them is huge. To learn more about switching to CFLs, visit our guide to making the switch. This, unfortunately, is where Mr.
0コメント