EPA steps if you drop your CFL lightbulb.

[Easy90]

Congress has mandated the use of Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs..and after a set date, will prohibit the sale of standard light bulbs. As a public service, I present the steps the EPA recommends you take should you drop your CFL light bulb, and it breaks.
*******
If you break a CFL, the Environmental Protection Agency recommends you take the following steps:

* Open a window to disperse any vapor that may escape and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
* Carefully scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a sealed plastic bag; use disposable rubber gloves if available. Do not use your bare hands.
* Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the plastic bag.
* Place the plastic bag in a second sealed plastic bag and dispose of in the trash. Some states require that broken and unbroken CFLs be taken to a recycling center.
* Do not use a vacuum cleaner or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.
* For carpet cleaning and additional information on CFL disposal, see the Energy Star CFL page.

http://www.tva.gov/cfl/index.htm

If you break a standard light bulb....just clean it up and toss it in the trash...

[Osborn F. Enready]

I got news for them....

If I break a CFL bulb its going in the trash too....

Did you ever read about how to dispose of a flourescent bulb?

[Alonzo]

They already have this law in Canada, but it won't come into full effect until 2012. The phase out has already started:

http://www.physorg.com/news96719691.html

[Pookie]

Phooey on that. The correct way to dispose of a CFL is to put it in the neighbor's trash, duhh!
LOL!
Purrs,
Pookie

[tecoyah]

I will be the recycling center for CFL in Louisville come October....but they have to listen to my L.E.D. pitch first...heh. Buy LED....its worth the money, and theres really nothing to break.

http://www.productdose.com/article.php?article_id=1142

[Buck Laser]

I'll just send mine to Easy.

[Pookie]

That's a good idea, Buck. I'll get his address and post it in every forum I'm in, so we know where to send em.
JUST KIDDING, Easy! LOL!
Good show, Tecoyah. I think I'll look into doing that here in my town. That's an idea.
Thanks!
Purrs,
Pookie

[Truth_and_Power]

I collect a pile o' crap in the corner of my garage that goes to the solid waste disposal center whenever I get around to taking it or it gets too big.. maybe every 6 months or so. So these lightbulbs can just join the broken VCR's and old paint in my chemical waiting room.

[tecoyah]

FYI......

In recent weeks the CFL has been receiving negative press, most of which is unfortunately generated because lack of knowledge surrounding the disposal of a CFL bulb. Most of these stories relate to individuals who have received incorrect information from hardware stores, supermarkets and even public health officials. One such story is from the Canada Post.

The real truth is yes CFL bulbs do contain mercury, this is an essential element of the bulb and without this it would not operate. Whilst the amount of mercury used in production a CFL lamp is at most 6mg, the average mercury content is 4mg.

Taking the above totals into consideration, mercury emissions by a CFL lamp from electricity consumption over its lifetime is about 2.4mg of mercury. Emissions from an incandescent light bulb is about 10mg for the same period through electricity consumption. Therefore a CFL bulb emits 76% less mercury over the same time period. However, mercury stored in CFL bulbs is perfectly safe unless the glass is in someway damaged, in which case the bulbs can then emit mercury vapour. If the mercury from a CFL was to escape it would total 6.4mg, a 36% reduction on emissions from an incandescent.


One study looking at long tubular fluorescent bulbs found that over a two week period, only 17 to 40 percent of the mercury in the bulb evaporated. The rest remained stuck in the bulb. Roughly one-third of the mercury that evaporated did so in the first eight hours after the breakage; the rest seeped out slowly over the remainder of the study period.


The mercury in a CFL can however be reclaimed and reused through the process of recycling. Collected bulbs are crushed in a machine that uses negative pressure ventilation and a mercury absorbing filter. Therefore if you use a CFL with renewable energy and recycle it, the mercury emmission level is actually negated completely.

Mercury emissions from power plants get into rain clouds and come down in lakes and rivers, poisoning fish and the people who eat them, which has been the contributing factor the recent new recommendations from Health Canada for fish consumption. Coal-fired power plants in the US are the largest source of mercury emissions, spewing 50 tons a year into the air, about 40 percent of the total US mercury emissions. By installing CFL bulbs, you should reduce you mercury emissions from electricity by 14%. If the USA as a nation completely installed CFLs, this should lead to a 7 tonne reduction of mercury emissions per year. Each CFL should last 5 years on average. So that would equate to 35 tonnes of mercury emissions avoided, it would take 8.75 billion CFLs being disposed to landfill to equal the US mercury savings over the same time frame or 30 per US citizen, an almost impossible feat to achieve even with serious neglect.

http://howtosaveenergy.blogspot.com/2007/05/cfl-mercury-myths.html


Here 'ya go Pookie Love..........

http://www.1000bulbs.com/Fluorescent-Recycling/?gclid=CL66gfSe05MCFQMUGgodkFUziQ

[Pookie]

Oh, thank you! I just saved all that to Notepad and I'm going to check that out. I'll let you know what happens. Actually, since all my neighbors recycle and we all want to save, they might be interested in this.
We have a Community Watch meeting on Thursday, so I'll print all this out and present it.
Thank you!
Purrs,
Pookie

[I Like Beer]

Congress has mandated the use of Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs..and after a set date, will prohibit the sale of standard light bulbs. As a public service, I present the steps the EPA recommends you take should you drop your CFL light bulb, and it breaks.
*******
If you break a CFL, the Environmental Protection Agency recommends you take the following steps:

* Open a window to disperse any vapor that may escape and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
* Carefully scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a sealed plastic bag; use disposable rubber gloves if available. Do not use your bare hands.
* Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the plastic bag.
* Place the plastic bag in a second sealed plastic bag and dispose of in the trash. Some states require that broken and unbroken CFLs be taken to a recycling center.
* Do not use a vacuum cleaner or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.
* For carpet cleaning and additional information on CFL disposal, see the Energy Star CFL page.

http://www.tva.gov/cfl/index.htm

If you break a standard light bulb....just clean it up and toss it in the trash...

First off - that's for any fluorescent bulb. The ones that have been in homes since the 1930s. I can't tell you the number of illnesses and deaths those have caused. :)

Second - North America is highly litigious. So directions like this are designed to cover someone's ass and always go way over the top.

For your consideration, I submit the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for mineral oil. Common mineral oil that's used in labs but ingested by people all the time (sometimes recommended by doctors as an aid in constipation).

http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/m7700.htm

3. Hazards Identification

Emergency Overview
--------------------------
WARNING! HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED OR INHALED. CAUSES IRRITATION TO SKIN, EYES AND RESPIRATORY TRACT. COMBUSTIBLE LIQUID AND VAPOR.

Potential Health Effects
----------------------------------

Inhalation:
Causes irritation to the respiratory tract. Symptoms may include coughing, shortness of breath. Inhalation of mist or vapor may produce aspiration pneumonia.
Ingestion:
Material is a cathartic and can cause serious diarrhea. Nausea and vomiting may also occur and possibly abdominal cramping. Aspiration of mineral oil into the lungs can cause chemical pneumonia.
Skin Contact:
Prolonged contact may cause irritation; occasionally dermatitis due to hypersensitivity occurs.
Eye Contact:
Mists or fumes can irritate the eyes. Can cause discomfort similar to motor oil.
Chronic Exposure:
Prolonged or repeated skin exposure may cause dermatitis. Highly refined mineral oils are not classified as human carcinogens. However, related forms (untreated and mildly-treated oils) are listed as human carcinogens by both NTP and IARC.

Better watch out for that mineral oil.

[Pookie]

Oooops. I use mineral oil in food for my pets when they get constipated.
Geez.
Purrs,
Pookie

[Muser]

I will be the recycling center for CFL in Louisville come October....but they have to listen to my L.E.D. pitch first...heh. Buy LED....its worth the money, and theres really nothing to break.

http://www.productdose.com/article.php?article_id=1142

I'm a fan of LED, also. CFLs have the mercury/disposal issues, slow to warm, flickering, and the color is often harsh and unnatural. CFLs are just a temporary bridge - LED is the lighting of the future, but it can't compete just yet (unless one has money to burn).

Cree is doing some great things with LED (you've probably heard of them); they just recently got 1000 lumens out of a single LED bulb, according to the press bit. Seoul Semiconductor is another company that's serious about LED technology.

[tecoyah]

I'm a fan of LED, also. CFLs have the mercury/disposal issues, slow to warm, flickering, and the color is often harsh and unnatural. CFLs are just a temporary bridge - LED is the lighting of the future, but it can't compete just yet (unless one has money to burn).

Cree is doing some great things with LED (you've probably heard of them); they just recently got 1000 lumens out of a single LED bulb, according to the press bit. Seoul Semiconductor is another company that's serious about LED technology.


Yeah Cree is definately the major player right now, I will carry three of their bulbs (even a $90 version-800 Lumen)...trying now to get the mall (more like a village) I will be in to be the first all L.E.D shopping center in the U.S.

[Milton Bradley]

I had heard that LED light is bad for your eyes.


Can't really find a source to confirm that, but I suspect it's true. They seem to bother me.

[potter]

I had heard that LED light is bad for your eyes.


Can't really find a source to confirm that, but I suspect it's true. They seem to bother me.


I've had a couple of LED flashlights and find it's hard to see anything when using them so I tossed em'. I also find the light harsh and irritating to my eyes.

Could just be me.

[tecoyah]

I've had a couple of LED flashlights and find it's hard to see anything when using them so I tossed em'. I also find the light harsh and irritating to my eyes.

Could just be me.


The beauty of an L.E.D. is the fact it emits whatever spectrum of light you decide to make it in.

There are as many bulbs as there are colors....and then some. It may just be you had a bright white bulb (they are wicked bright), and are used to a warm white (incandescent copy).


Most people go with a warm white, for that reason.

[Wndrtch]

https://fscimage.fishersci.com/msds/96252.htm

[Truth_and_Power]

I know that the 50 year olds that I work with that played with mercury in their hands as kids are very worried about what could happen if they drop these bulbs on the ground and have to sweep/mop.

[potter]

The beauty of an L.E.D. is the fact it emits whatever spectrum of light you decide to make it in.

There are as many bulbs as there are colors....and then some. It may just be you had a bright white bulb (they are wicked bright), and are used to a warm white (incandescent copy).


Most people go with a warm white, for that reason.

Now thars some newz you can use.....I had no idea they came in anything but "glaring".... :ponder:

[Wndrtch]

I know that the 50 year olds that I work with that played with mercury in their hands as kids are very worried about what could happen if they drop these bulbs on the ground and have to sweep/mop.

Liquid mercury, is not as deadly, because it passes through your system quickly and before it can be absorbed.

Powdered mercury is deadly, because the powder particles are small enough to be absorbed into your bloodstream thru the lungs.

[potter]

I know that the 50 year olds that I work with that played with mercury in their hands as kids are very worried about what could happen if they drop these bulbs on the ground and have to sweep/mop.


I used to do that when I was a kid. Break a thermometer and play with the stuff.

Cool......

[tecoyah]

Now thars some newz you can use.....I had no idea they came in anything but "glaring".... :ponder:

this might help:

http://www.ccrane.com/lights/led-light-bulbs/index.aspx

[potter]

Thanks Tecoyah, the cost break down at the end of the link was very helpful in explaining the cost savings.

[preservanation]

Fascist govt measures based on a hoax.