Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Fluorescent Bulb Cleanup

From Consumer Reports Greener Choices
www.greenerchoices.org

Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL's) contain small amounts of mercury, a neurotoxin. Exposure to a broken bulb can pose a health risk, especially to a developing fetus or young child. So be careful where you install CFLs, especially in carpeted areas, which cannot be completely cleaned of mercury unless the carpeting is removed.

If a bulb does break, don’t panic. Follow these instructions, adapted from the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection:

First, open the windows, shut off central A/C or forced-air heating, and have people and pets leave the room for at least 15 minutes, and don't let them walk through the breakage on the way out; continue ventilating the room for several hours.

TO CLEAN HARD FLOORS:

• Wear disposable rubber gloves for maximum protection.

• Don’t vacuum or sweep the mess. Doing so will spread the mercury vapor and dust throughout the area, and potentially contaminate the vacuum.

• Carefully remove the broken glass. First remove larger pieces by hand and scoop up smaller ones using stiff pieces of cardboard or paper (e.g. index cards). Then use sticky tape (e.g. duct, packing or masking tape) to clean up still smaller fragments and dust. Finally, use a disposable damp cloth to wipe up the finest particles.

• Place all breakage and clean-up materials in a secure container, preferably a glass one with a lid, such as an empty food or canning jar. Otherwise, use a double-sealed plastic bag and immediately dispose of all waste per the instructions below.

TO CLEAN CARPETING OR RUGS:

• Consider disposing of throw rugs or removing the carpet area where the breakage occurred as a precaution, particularly if the rug is in an area where infants, small children or pregnant women spend time. This is the only way to help ensure you get rid of all of the mercury.

• If the carpet is not removed, carefully remove the broken glass. Put on disposable rubber gloves for maximum protection and remove larger pieces by hand. Then use sticky tape (e.g. duct, packing or masking tape) to clean up smaller fragments and dust. This will get rid of a lot, but not all of the mercury.

• Place all waste and clean-up materials in a secure container, preferably a glass one with a lid, such as an empty food or canning jar. Otherwise, use a double-sealed plastic bag and immediately dispose of all waste per the instructions below.

TO SAFELY DISPOSE OF BROKEN BULBS:

• Immediately place all contained breakage and clean-up materials outdoors in a trash container or other secure location until you can bring it to a household hazardous waste handler. Check the Environmental Protection Agency's From lightbulb recycling site for drop-off sites in your area (note that retailers such as Ikea and Home Depot that take back CFLs won’t accept broken ones for recycling).

We strongly discourage disposing of CFLs in the trash, and in some states and municipalities, it’s against the law to do so. You can ask your local or state government about disposal requirements in your area.

• As a last resort, dispose of contained broken CFLs in the trash outside for pick-up if your area allows it, and no other disposal or recycling options exist.

• Wash your hands and face thoroughly after clean-up and disposal.

CFL Safety [Video]
CFL Saving energy [Video]

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