CFLs and other mercury lamps
CFL disposal was brought up in another forum, so I wanted to start one to tell you all that while CFLs should be disposed of properly, they are still beneficial to use.:cool:
:D:cool:Check out this article which includes links to places that will accept broken and unbroken lamps: http://ucsustainability.blogspot.com...and-clean.html
For those unfamiliar: Compact Fluorescent Lamps are those cool new light bulbs that use tons less energy and last years longer than conventional bulbs.:cool: However, they do have small amounts of mercury in them, so when broken, they can can be dangerous especially for small children and pregnant women.:( So try not to break them. :rolleyes:;)
some vaporizes, some remains in dust
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Haffy
If they are broken isn't the damage already done by the elimination of the mercury? :confused:
I'm not sure what you mean...:confused:
When the bulb is broken, yes, some mercury is released. That's why you should open windows and leave the room for 15 minutes, but a lot of the mercury remains in the dust that is on the broken pieces and surface it broke on, so that's why there's a link in the article on how to clean up a broken bulb. Leaving it is not good, especially if there's a child who'll be agitating the carpet by playing or crawling. More dust will kick up and breathed. That's why vacuuming is worse; it agitates the carpet and kicks up the dust. So check out the links on how to clean it up. It's actually a lot of common sense, like using a wet rag to dab up the dust and tiny pieces, using a glass sealable container to prevent vapors from escaping, generally allowing the room to ventilate.
How many geocachers does it take...
to discuss light bulbs...:p
I remember that thread!;) ...so Mainiac are you impressed I used the word "lamps"?:D:p