You have probably heard, as I have, that it is energy efficient and therefore environmentally responsible to replace all incandescent bulbs with CFLs. But were you aware that there are real dangers associated with these things?
I probably would have already replaced all our bulbs with CFLs, except they don't fit into most of the light fixtures in this house. Thank God. Recently Andrew mentioned that he had heard something about them being dangerous, so this morning I did some research.
CFLs contain mercury. If they break inside your home (or while the garbage collectors are handling them), then the toxic vapor released into the air may cause damage to the nervous system damage, kidneys and liver. The mercury may also be absorbed through the skin or ingested accidentally.
Wouldn't it make sense to include consumer education about dangers and safe disposal in a big campaign for these things? This information comes as a great shock to me. Should it? Presumably the almighty buck reigns as usual.
I just looked at the packaging for a CFL I had in the cupboard and there is not one word of warning about the danger of heavy metal poisoning or safe cleanup in the event of breakage. There is not one word about safe disposal. These things are going to landfills, breaking, and sending toxic vapours into the environment.
The internet articles I've read seem to come in at somewhat opposite ends of the spectrum regarding the real danger of these things. This article says that any poisonous vapours dissipate quickly- within about an hour. Another article relays the story of a family who sealed off their daughter's bedroom for at least a month as they tried to work out how to "pay off a $2,000 estimate by a company specializing in environmentally sound cleanups of the mercury inside the bulb."
The Energystar web site publishes a CFL Cleanup and Disposal guideline document. The cleanup recommendations include:
- Leaving and airing out the room for at least 15 minutes. Shutting off central forced air systems.
- Scooping up mercury fragments with stiff paper or cardboard, and remaining smaller fragments with sticky tape such as duct tape.
- Not using a vaccuum cleaner, broom or mop for cleanup
- Disposing of mercury fragments in a glass jar or sealed plastic bag
- Wiping the area clean with a damp paper towel or wet wipe. This should also be placed in the jar or bag.
More details about cleanup and disposal in the document hyperlinked above.
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Makes you wonder what else they aren't telling us about things we use regularly... Scary stuff. I'm glad I don't have any of these bulbs in our home :p
ReplyDeleteWe use them, but are pretty careful...it would be nice to have an altertnative, safer energy saving option...do you know of anything like that?
ReplyDeleteThe day after I read this post I ran across a Cooking Light article about CFLs. It did contain a section regarding safety that I found helpful as it put the dangers of CFLs in perspective. I agree though that there should be a warning on the box with instructions for clean up as you outlined in your post but if this article is correct it may not be as big a risk as it sounds. This is what the article had to say (Cooking Light, Jan/Feb 2009, p.74):
ReplyDelete"The average CFL bulb contains between four and five milligrams of mercury, about as much as the ink on a ballpoint pen tip. By contrast, old-style mercury thermometers contained about 500 mg mercury. If your home's heating system has an older dial thermostat, it could have up to 3,000 mg of mercury inside. All these household items are safe as long as the mercury is contained. But because mercury is toxic, you need to be careful how and where you use CFLs."
The article then goes on to describe safe usage and clean up tips similar to what Dana wrote above.