Why are Fluorescent Light Bulbs Dangerous? Why are Fluorescent Light Bulbs Dangerous? GO Fluorescent tubes still pose poisoning risks Apr 11, 2008 09:09 GMT · By Gabriel Gache · Share: It's not big deal when a light bulb breaks. Albeit while talking about tubular fluorescent light bulbs, things can take a very serious turn, mostly because these types of light sources contain small amounts of mercury. If the glass tube is broken, then the mercury can contaminate the environment, not a very good perspective considering that mercury is highly toxic. In fluorescent tubes, mercury is used in vapor or powder state, in order to convert electric energy into ultraviolet light, which is then converted into visible light by a fluorescent substance. Fluorescent tubes may contain up to five milligrams of mercury, a very small quantity, however still extremely harmful for the brains of children. On the other hand, other devices, such as thermometers or thermostatic switches, could contain as much as 3,000 milligrams of mercury.

The problem is that mercury has such unique properties, that most of the time it cannot be replaced with another chemical element or substance, but, if poisoned by the mercury contained inside a fluorescent tube for example, one may suffer severe weight loss and rashes. "Any problems at all frequently are handled for the most part by quickly ventilating the room. Get all the people and pets out of the room for 15 minutes and let the room air out. If you have a central heating system or an HVAC system, you don't want it sucking the fumes around, so shut that down," says Jim Berlow of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Hazardous Waste Minimization and Management Division. If in your house a fluorescent tube breaks, the first thing to do is not to touch the mercury powder, but pick up the shattered glass, preferably with something to avoid direct contact, then wipe the heavy metal with a wet cloth and put it in a sealed container. Brooms and vacuums should be avoided at all times, since they spread the mercury even more. Another concern is that, although fluorescent tubes are 100 percent recyclable, only about 2 percent ever pass through a recycling stage, the other reaching the landfills.

"Our first preference is not to see them go into landfills. Recycling really closes the loop on this as best we can right now. But, on the other hand, we also don't see huge risks from them going into landfills, either. Probably the most important thing that people need to connect with compact fluorescents is that they save significant quantities of energy. We're talking about two thirds to three quarters of the energy associated with lighting being reduced," said Berlow. LEDs are promising to replace the fluorescent mercury tubes in a very close future. Not only that LEDs are very clean, but they are also much more efficient than traditional light bulbs or even fluorescent tubes. However, "they currently fall far short in the overall efficiency/color/cost trade-off," says James Dakin, senior consulting engineer at GE Lighting. Albeit as long as fluorescent tubes are around, the imminent danger posed by mercury still remains, because mercury cannot be replaced by an equally efficient clean substance.

Mercury In Fluorescent Bulbs Has A Unique Isotope Fingerprint | Chemical & Engineering News Web Date: February 22, 2013 Mercury In Fluorescent Bulbs Has A Unique Isotope Fingerprint Environmental Analysis: Distinct isotope signal could help researchers track the toxic metal’s movement in the environment Compact fluorescent light bulbs contain between 2.3 and 5 mg of mercury. Credit: Shutterstock Compact fluorescent light bulbs contain between 2.3 and 5 mg of mercury. Credit: Shutterstock To reduce electricity bills, consumers have started switching from incandescent to compact fluorescent light bulbs. As more people make the swap, increasing numbers of fluorescent bulbs end up in landfills, where the mercury contained in the bulbs could leach into groundwater. A new study suggests that researchers could track the mercury from fluorescent bulbs by looking for its unique isotopic signature (Environ. Sci. Technol., DOI: 10.1021/es303940p ). Human generated sources of mercury, including coal-fired power plants, pump 2,000 tons of the element into the atmosphere each year.

Mercury can damage the human central nervous system; in particular, it disrupts brain development in fetuses and young children. Scientists analyze the ratios of mercury isotopes to identify the source of the metal found in lakes, oceans, and the atmosphere. Although researchers know the unique ratios found in sources such as coal, they currently don’t have an isotope fingerprint for mercury found in compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Chris Mead of Arizona State University and his colleagues thought that chemical processes inside CFLs might produce a unique isotopic composition for mercury lodged in the bulbs’ glass. Previous studies have shown that when mercury vapor within a fluorescent bulb gets excited it not only generates light but also causes a small fraction of the mercury to become trapped in the bulb’s glass. This process might affect some mercury isotopes more than others, leading to a characteristic ratio of isotopes in the glass. With this in mind, the researchers turned on 14-watt consumer bulbs and kept them burning continuously for 1,700, 3,600, 10,000 or 16,000 hours. Afterwards, they broke each bulb and separated the mercury trapped in the glass from the remainder of the mercury.

Using a multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer, the team measured the isotopic composition of this trapped mercury. Then they compared the mercury isotope ratios in their samples to those from a known mercury standard. The difference between these sets of ratios represents a unique isotopic signal for the CFL mercury. Mead was surprised by the findings: The isotope ratios found in the CFL mercury were much larger than those found in other sources. Joel D. Blum , of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor , who helped to establish the method for using isotope ratios to track mercury emitted by coal burning, calls determining an isotope fingerprint for CFL mercury “a good idea.” He says the study presents a unique signal that researchers could use when tracking mercury in the environment. Fluorescent lights release toxic mercury directly into the environment - NaturalNews.com Fluorescent lights release toxic mercury directly into the environment Monday, February 11, 2008 Popular on Facebook 62K EVERYTHING IS RIGGED: Medicine, science, elections, the media, money, education, search engines, social media...

you are living in a fabricated fairy tale 40K All-out effort to destroy Trump PROVES he's not part of the establishment... NOT an insider... 'Trump' movement has grown way beyond one man's actions or words 37K Hexavalent chromium (chromium-6) was just found in 75% of drinking water... the mass chemical suicide of America is under way 36K Electoral victory for Hillary already LOCKED IN via massive bribery... George Soros admits on video... democracy be damned... THEFT of the presidency already complete 35K Chaos will erupt across America in less than 100 days... no matter who wins the election 27K The defeat of Hillary Clinton just dealt a devastating blow to Monsanto, Big Pharma and the corrupt vaccine industry 23K Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson just sold out to Big Pharma... says children should be forcibly injected with mercury at gunpoint... claims government 'science' overrides medical freedom 23K Facebook goes full ORWELLIAN... now blocking all stories mentioning the keyword phrase 'm-nd-t-ry v-cc-n-t--ns' 20K Hillary the CHEAT!

Clinton caught wearing covert earpiece during last night's debate with Trump... brazen dishonesty on display yet again 19K Staged Zika pandemic was engineered by globalist governments to justify the aerial bombardment of awakening populations with toxic chemicals 18K TRUMP MIRACLE... DEPLORABLES TAKE BACK AMERICA... LEFTISTS TOTAL FREAK OUT 17K Natural News announces economic boycott of CNN corporate sponsors, including GEICO, WellsFargo, Sprint, Dodge and ETrade 16K The defeated left turns to HATE: Liberals unleash beatings, death threats and calls for mass murder of Trump supporters 15K Tweet There is an international campaign to ban the incandescent bulb in favor of alternative sources of lighting, most notably fluorescents. Unfortunately, fluorescents contain noxious chemicals including argon and mercury that are contaminating the environment, specifically through their accumulation in landfill waste. IN an effort to fight the effects of global warming and save precious energy, federal and state governments are attempting to find the best way to dispose of or recycle fluorescent light bulbs. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), approximately 800 million fluorescent lamps are disposed of every year.

It only takes a single gram of mercury to contaminate a two-acre pond and cause potential ecological damage through water pollution. Therefore, 800 million lamps produce enough mercury to contaminate about 20 million acres of water. When the bulbs break, mercury can contaminate the environment, including soils, people and animals in the surrounding the area. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can severely harm the human nervous system through either ingestion, inhalation or skin absorption. It is a highly toxic heavy metal that acts as a cumulative poison similar to lead or DDT. Exposure presents the greatest hazard for infants, children and pregnant mothers. Physical symptoms may include an inability to coordinate body movement, an impairment of hearing, vision and speech, skin rashes and kidney damage. When the bulbs are recycled, a special hazardous waste company generally carries out the process of collecting the unbroken bulbs, crushing them and capturing both the remaining mercury gas and the spent mercury solids. These companies then ship the mercury-bearing waste, using an EPA-permitted hazardous waste transporter, to an EPA-approved hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facility. But most compact fluorescent lights simply end up in landfill and are not recycled at all.

That's because most consumers simply throw them in the trash rather than recycling them. Changes are being made slowly to lower the amount of mercury we may be potentially exposed to. Low energy light bulbs called compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) contain 4-15mg of mercury compared to normal fluorescent lights, which contain approximately 20 mg of the toxic metal. "The compact fluorescent light bulb is a product people can use to positively influence the environment toï¿½prevent mercury emissions as well as greenhouse gas emissions. And it's something that we can do now -- and it's extremely important that we do it," said Wendy Reed, the manager of the EPA's Energy Star program. "And the positive message is, if you recycle them, if you dispose of them properly, then they're doing a world of good." The trouble is, of course, that the vast majority of consumers don't recycle them or dispose of them properly, and so fluorescent lights have become a significant source of mercury pollution. Regulations regarding fluorescent lights All fluorescent light bulbs are supposed to be disposed of properly, which means recycling these products instead of throwing them in the trash. But these rules are never enforced.

There isn't a single recorded case of a person being arrested or fined for throwing a fluorescent light bulb in the trash. Ultimately, it becomes the responsibility of the consumer to find certified waste recycling centers or utilize special hazardous waste collection days in order to dispose of broken or dead fluorescent bulbs. The bulbs cannot be incinerated because they could become much more dangerous if the mercury becomes distributed through the air in smoke that may be inhaled. Most consumers, unfortunately, have no idea that such bulbs are supposed to be disposed of through "hazardous waste collection days" or certified waste recycling centers. Have you ever heard of these? Do you have any idea about where such centers might be in your community? If you don't, you're not alone: Nobody does! And what about the potential dangers that exist in the transporting of broken fluorescent light bulbs to these recycling centers? Imagine bulbs breaking against one another and mercury vapor escaping into the small space inside a car. Anyone inside the car will potentially be inhaling mercury vapor.

Until it's made convenient to the consumer, the consistent recycling of fluorescent lighting by our citizens is little more than a pipe dream -- wishful thinking on the part of the EPA and fluorescent light manufacturers who really don't want to take responsibility for all the mercury they're putting into the environment. "I share your frustration that there isn't a national infrastructure for the proper recycling of this product," says Reed. "EPA is actively engaged with trying to find a solution that works for these retailers around recycling the product, because it's really, really important. ...The only retailer I know of that is recycling is IKEA. We are working with Wal-Mart on it; we are making some progress. But no commitments have been made on the part of Wal-Mart." Compact fluorescents contain mercury, too As an alternative to normal fluorescent lighting, compact fluorescent light bulbs have gained much popularity over the past couple years because they contain less mercury than standard fluorescent lighting. However, it is impossible to have fluorescent lighting without mercury, according to industry engineers. Obviously, recycling is not going to be enough. A mercury-free alternative must be found.

According to John Skinner, executive director of the Solid Waste Association of North America: "The problem with the bulbs is that they'll break before they get to the landfill. They'll break in containers, or they'll break in a dumpster or they'll break in the trucks. Workers may be exposed to very high levels of mercury when that happens." Fluorescent light bulbs are considered universal waste and as such, are subject to the Universal Waste Rule of 2000, a U.S. environmental law that encourages the recycling of mercury-containing materials by allowing products such as fluorescent bulbs to be exempt from certain hazardous waste requirements. Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark have stated they intend to eventually eliminate mercury use completely, and plan on researching alternatives to fluorescent lighting such as LED technology. General Electric has been manufacturing compact and regular fluorescent lights for over 20 years, but now admits that the accumulation of mercury could pose a problem for the environment and human health. "Given what we anticipate to be the significant increase in the use of these products, we are now beginning to look at, and shortly we'll be discussing with legislators, possibly a national solution here," said Earl Jones, a senior counsel for General Electric.

The solution, of course is LED lights, which contain no mercury and are significantly more energy efficient than both incandescent lights and fluorescent lights. That's why I launched a new company earlier this year, EcoLEDs.com ( ), which provides mercury-free LED lights to businesses and consumers. Right now, LED lights are very expensive to purchase up front, but they pay for themselves in about two years thanks to the savings in electricity (and they keep on working for 50,000 hours...). There's no doubt that LED lights are the future of lighting, and the sooner we all switch to LED lights, the more quickly we'll stop poisoning our homes, communities and nations with the unsafe disposal of mercury from fluorescent lights. Spread the word: Fluorescent lights are toxic to life on planet earth. If you care about the health of your family and your planet, don't buy light bulbs made with mercury. When times are tough, you need food that provides you with NUTRITION, not POISON! Ranger Bucker Organic Emergency Storable Food Supply - Organic, lab-verified and made completely without junk ingredients, GMOs, hidden MSG or other junk.

AlternativeNews.com tracks real-time news from independent media About the author: Mike Adams (aka the " Health Ranger ") is a best selling author (#1 best selling science book on Amazon.com) and a globally recognized scientific researcher in clean foods. He serves as the founding editor of NaturalNews.com and the lab science director of an internationally accredited (ISO 17025) analytical laboratory known as CWC Labs . There, he was awarded a Certificate of Excellence for achieving extremely high accuracy in the analysis of toxic elements in unknown water samples using ICP-MS instrumentation. Adams is also highly proficient in running liquid chromatography, ion chromatography and mass spectrometry time-of-flight analytical instrumentation. Adams is a person of color whose ancestors include Africans and Native American Indians. He's also of Native American heritage , which he credits as inspiring his "Health Ranger" passion for protecting life and nature against the destruction caused by chemicals, heavy metals and other forms of pollution.

Adams is the founder and publisher of the open source science journal Natural Science Journal , the author of numerous peer-reviewed science papers published by the journal, and the author of the world's first book that published ICP-MS heavy metals analysis results for foods, dietary supplements, pet food, spices and fast food. The book is entitled Food Forensics and is published by BenBella Books. Are Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs Dangerous? - Scientific American Scientific American Sustainability Are Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs Dangerous? Compact fluorescent lightbulbs contain a minuscule amount of mercury, and you can't safely ignore potential contact with it By John Matson on April 10, 2008 Advertisement | Report Ad Lightbulbs break all the time. So why would a single broken bulb in a Maine household trigger the state's Department of Environmental Protection to refer the homeowner to a decontaminator? The answer lies in the type of bulb that broke—a compact fluorescent lightbulb —and what was inside that bulb. Compact fluorescents, like their tubular fluorescent precursors, contain a small amount of mercury—typically around five milligrams.

Mercury is essential to a fluorescent bulb's ability to emit light; no other element has proved as efficient. As effective as it is at enabling white light, however, mercury —sometimes called quicksilver—is also highly toxic. It is especially harmful to the brains of both fetuses and children. That's why officials have curtailed or banned its use in applications from thermometers to automotive and thermostat switches. (A single thermostat switch, still common in many homes, may contain 3,000 milligrams (0.1 ounce) of mercury, or as much as 600 compact fluorescents.) The problem comes when a bulb breaks. Mercury escapes as vapor that can be inhaled and as a fine powder that can settle into carpet and other textiles. At least one case of mercury poisoning has been linked to fluorescents: A 1987 article in Pediatrics describes a 23-month-old who suffered weight loss and severe rashes after a carton of eight-foot (2.4-meter) tubular bulbs broke in a play area. State and federal government agencies say that breakages, though deserving of caution, can usually be cleaned up inexpensively with household goods.

(In the Maine case, the state acknowledges providing the referral but insists the homeowner was informed that such a step was unnecessary.) Jim Berlow, director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Hazardous Waste Minimization and Management Division, recommends starting by opening the windows and stepping outside. "Any problems at all frequently are handled for the most part by quickly ventilating the room," he says. "Get all the people and pets out of the room for 15 minutes and let the room air out. If you have a central heating system or an HVAC [heating, ventilating and air-conditioning] system, you don't want it sucking the fumes around, so shut that down." The important thing is not to touch the heavy metal . After airing out the room, the larger pieces of the bulb should be scooped off hard surfaces with stiff paper or cardboard or picked up off carpeted surfaces with gloves to avoid contact. Use sticky tape or duct tape to pick up smaller fragments; then, on hard surfaces, wipe down the area with a damp paper towel or a wet wipe. All materials should be placed in a sealable plastic bag or, even better, in a glass jar with a metal lid.

"If it gets in the jar, that's pretty good containment," Berlow states. "We've found that the plastic bags actually don't contain any mercury fumes, so absolutely, if you've got the plastic bag, get it outside when you're done." Vacuums or brooms should generally be avoided, as they can spread mercury to other parts of the house. Intact bulbs can be a headache to dispose of, too. In many locales it is illegal to throw fluorescents out with regular garbage, but the closest recycling or take-back facility may be miles away. (And, given the number of bottles and cans that end up in landfills despite the prevalence of curbside recycling programs, it seems likely that any barrier to recycling will make for relatively low reclamation rates; in 2004 the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers estimated a residential mercury bulb recycling rate of 2 percent.) Many municipal waste facilities and some vendors accept fluorescents; the EPA and Earth 911 maintain online directories of collection sites. Among major retailers of fluorescents, IKEA offers to take back compact fluorescent bulbs in its stores free of charge. "Our first preference is not to see them go into landfills," Berlow says.

"Recycling really closes the loop on this as best we can right now. But on the other hand, we also don't see huge risks from them going into landfills, either." And compact fluorescent bulbs actually reduce the mercury pollution from the single largest U.S. source: coal-fired power plants. "Probably the most important thing that people need to connect with compact fluorescents is that they save significant quantities of energy," Berlow adds. "We're talking about two thirds to three quarters of the energy associated with lighting being reduced." James Dakin, senior consulting engineer at GE Lighting in Cleveland, says that a mercury-free lighting replacement may be in the works: light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are advancing rapidly. "LEDs are perhaps the most promising mercury-free alternative," he says, "but they currently fall far short in the overall efficiency/color/cost trade-off." But for as long as fluorescents reign, don't look for a mercury phaseout. "Lots of other atoms and molecules have been investigated," Dakin explains, "but nobody has found anything as practical and efficient as mercury." Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) FAQs for Households - NYS Dept.

of Environmental Conservation Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) FAQs for Households What is mercury? Mercury is an element found naturally in the environment. Although it has some very useful properties, it is a toxic heavy metal with potential health effects, and must be handled properly. Human activities, such as burning coal for electricity and using mercury in manufacturing, increase the amount of mercury cycling through the air, water, and soil. According to the EPA, the main sources of mercury pollution are coal-burning power plants. American power plants pump 96,000 pounds of mercury into the air annually. Why is mercury in compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs)? Mercury is a necessary part of a CFL. The ballast, mercury, and phosphor coating inside the bulb work together to efficiently convert electrical energy into visible light. How much mercury is in a CFL? On average, newer CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury (about 4 to 5 milligrams of mercury) sealed in the glass tubing, which is about enough to cover the tip of a ballpoint pen. Older CFLs tend to contain higher amounts of mercury.

Is there a difference in mercury content between ENERGY STAR® and non-ENERGY STAR® CFLs? All ENERGY STAR® qualified CFLs have less than 5 milligrams of mercury (some manufacturers are able to produce CFLs that have only about 1 milligram of mercury). Avoid purchasing non-ENERGY STAR® CFLs, as they may have much higher levels of mercury in them. How can I tell how much mercury is in a CFL before I purchase one? As of September 2008, all ENERGY STAR® qualified CFLs are required to list their mercury content on the packaging. This information is not required on non-ENERGY STAR® CFL packaging. Does mercury escape into the environment when I use a CFL? A CFL is a sealed unit, and no mercury is released when it is in use or as long as it is intact. Some mercury is released when a bulb breaks, and appropriate clean-up guidance should be followed. Does the use of a regular incandescent light bulb really create more mercury emissions through the generation of electricity than a CFL? Yes, in fact a recent study by the Environmental Protection Agency shows that when using an incandescent light bulb, more mercury emissions are released into the air due to increased energy usage.

A power plant emits about 10mg of mercury to produce the electricity to run an incandescent bulb over a 5-year period. A power plant will emit only 2.4mg of mercury to run a CFL for the same time period. CFLs present an opportunity to prevent mercury from entering our air, where it most affects our health. The highest source of mercury in our air comes from burning fossil fuels such as coal, the most common fuel used in the U.S. to produce electricity. A CFL uses 75% less energy than an incandescent light bulb and lasts at least 6 times longer. Can I throw my burned out CFL in the trash? As of now, New York State households are exempt from the ordinary hazardous waste regulations of businesses, so CFLs may legally be disposed as normal household trash, although NYSDEC does not recommend this practice. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the NYSDEC are strongly encouraging New Yorkers to use and recycle them safely. Careful recycling of CFLs prevents the release of mercury into the environment and allows for the reuse of glass, metals and other materials that make up CFLs.

NYSERDA and the NYSDEC recommend that consumers take advantage of available local recycling options for CFLs, such as household hazardous waste collection events and the new CFL Collection Program operated by participating ENERGY STAR® retailers. The agencies are also working with CFL manufacturers and major U.S. retailers to expand recycling and proper disposal options. Why should I recycle my old burned out or broken CFLs? CFLs need to be managed properly at the end of their useful lives in order to keep harmful mercury from entering the environment. Last year alone, Americans purchased 400 million CFLs! It is important to begin proper recycling of CFLs today so there is not a problem in the future when these bulbs need to be replaced, since they typically last up to 10 years. What happens when my CFL is recycled? A CFL is like a small computer containing many electronic components in an internal ballast. When a CFL reaches a recycler, all the components are separated, including glass and mercury which in many cases are resold to manufacturers. How do I currently recycle my CFL?

There are several ways to recycle your CFL: Check out NYSERDA's resource map for a participating CFL Collection Center near you (available on the right side of this page under "Links Leaving DEC's Website"). The retail stores listed are trained to accept and manage CFLs for recycling. Take advantage of local recycling options through your municipal landfill or transfer station. Many towns or counties also have household hazardous waste collection days where CFLs can be dropped off for recycling. What do I do if a CFL breaks in my house? It is important to minimize the exposure, by contact or inhalation, of humans and pets to mercury. These simple clean-up instructions will help to ensure safe handling of broken CFLs: Before clean-up make sure you ventilate the room. Make sure that people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area for 15 minutes. Be sure to open a window and shut off the forced-air heating or air conditioning system. Clean-up on hard surfaces. Using stiff paper or cardboard, carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder and place them in a container, preferably a glass jar with a metal lid (such as a canning jar).

Use sticky tape (such as duct tape) to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder. Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the container. DO NOT use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces, since this will spread the particles around the room. Clean-up on carpets or rugs. Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a container, preferably a glass jar with a metal lid (such as a canning jar). Use sticky tape (such as duct tape) to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder. If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum only the area where the bulb was broken. Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister) and put the bag or vacuum debris in two sealed plastic bags. It is important to discard the bag and wipe out the canister with a damp cloth before using the machine again. Disposal of clean-up materials. Immediately place all clean-up materials outside the building in a trash container or outdoor protected area for the next normal trash disposal day. Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.

CFL Bulbs Have One Hitch: Toxic Mercury : NPR Energy Star: FAQs on Disposing of CFL Bulbs In Depth Scroll down to read advice from the EPA and Energy Department on what to look for in a CFL — and get a home energy calculator. The Environmental Protection Agency and some large business, including Wal-Mart, are aggressively promoting the sale of compact fluorescent light bulbs as a way to save energy and fight global warming. They want Americans to buy many millions of them over the coming years. But the bulbs contain small amounts of mercury, a neurotoxin, and the companies and federal government haven't come up with effective ways to get Americans to recycle them. "The problem with the bulbs is that they'll break before they get to the landfill. They'll break in containers, or they'll break in a dumpster or they'll break in the trucks. Workers may be exposed to very high levels of mercury when that happens," says John Skinner, executive director of the Solid Waste Association of North America, the trade group for the people who handle trash and recycling. Skinner says when bulbs break near homes, they can contaminate the soil. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin, and it's especially dangerous for children and fetuses.

Most exposure to mercury comes from eating fish contaminated with mercury, Some states, cities and counties have outlawed putting CFL bulbs in the trash, but in most states the practice is legal. Article continues after sponsorship Pete Keller works for Eco Lights Northwest, the only company in Washington state that recycles fluorescent lamps. He says it is illegal to put the bulbs in the trash in some counties in Washington, but most people still throw them out. "I think most people do want to recycle, but if it's not made easy, it doesn't happen," Keller says. "And they're small enough to fit in a trash can. So by nature, I think most people are not recyclers. So if it's small enough to fit in a trash can, that's where it ends up." Experts agree that it's not easy for most people to recycle these bulbs. Even cities that have curbside recycling won't take the bulbs. So people have to take them to a hazardous-waste collection day or a special facility. The head of the Environmental Protection Agency program concedes that not enough has been done to urge people to recycle CFL bulbs and make it easier for them to do so.

"I share your frustration that there isn't a national infrastructure for the proper recycling of this product," says Wendy Reed, who manages EPA's Energy Star program. That programs gives the compact bulbs its "energy star" seal of approval. She says that even though fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, using them contributes less mercury to the environment than using regular incandescent bulbs. That's because they use less electricity — and coal-fired power plants are the biggest source of mercury emissions in the air. "The compact fluorescent light bulb is a product people can use to positively influence the environment to... prevent mercury emissions as well as greenhouse gas emissions. And it's something that we can do now — and it's extremely important that we do do it," Reed says. "And the positive message is, if you recycle them, if you dispose of them properly, then they're doing a world of good." Reed says the agency has been urging stores that sell the bulbs to help recycle them. "EPA is actively engaged with trying to find a solution that works for these retailers around recycling the product, because it's really, really important," Reed says. But so far, she says the biggest sellers of the bulbs haven't stepped up to the plate.

"The only retailer that I know of that is recycling is IKEA," she says, referring to the Swedish-owned furniture chain store. Reed says the EPA has been prodding other retailers, such as Wal-Mart, to do more. "We are working with Wal-Mart on it, we are making some progress. But no commitments have been made on the part of Wal-Mart," she says. Wal-Mart didn't respond to requests for a comment on the issue. EPA also has asked retailers to sell the lower mercury compact bulbs that some manufacturers are making. Engineers say you can't cut mercury out completely. Some other big companies have started paying attention to the recycling problem. General Electric has been making compact fluorescents for 20 years. Now the company admits that the little bit of mercury in each bulbs could become a real problem if sales balloon as expected. "Given what we anticipate to be the significant increase in the use of these products, we are now beginning to look at, and shortly we'll be discussing with legislators, possibly a national solution here," says Earl Jones, a senior counsel for General Electric. In fact, Jones said he was having his first talks with congressional staffers on Thursday. Why Use a CFL?

Eco-friendly Light Bulbs ContainToxic Chemicals Eco-friendly Light Bulbs ContainToxic Chemicals Eco-friendly Light Bulbs ContainToxic Chemicals April 11, 2011 Tweet on Twitter Did you hear somewhere that these new, eco-friendly, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) were the best thing that ever happened in the world of light bulbs? That they can outlast 12 regular light bulbs? That they’ll make you save tens of thousands of dollars by switching to them? That those who did not switch to CFL did not care about the planet (and are therefore eco-terrorist)? Well, I hope you did not fall for this crap. Since 2007, numerous studies proved that CFLs contained dangerous amounts of mercury which, as seen in the VC article entitled Dumbing Down Society Part 2: Mercury in Foods and Vaccines , caused brain neuron degeneration. In other words, it makes you dumber. When these bulbs break (which often happens when thrown in the garbage), the mercury contained within is released. Other recent studies proved that another type of eco-friendly bulb, the LED’s (used in new generation Christmas lights) also contained high levels of toxic chemicals.

Here’s an article from Natural News on the subject. Though the notion now borders on political incorrectness among many environmentalists, the simple incandescent light bulb is still the cleanest, most non-toxic form of consumer lighting available. A new study published by the University of California – Irvine (UCI) has found that popular energy-saving LED light bulbs are filled with high levels of lead, arsenic, and various other toxic chemicals. Much like hazardous compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), which numerous investigations have shown contain dangerously high levels of mercury that damage human health and pollute the environment, the LED bulbs used in things like Christmas lights, traffic signals, and vehicle headlights, may be just as bad. Oladele Ogunseitan, professor of public health and social ecology at UCI and lead author of the new study, and his team, crushed a variety of different LED bulbs to expose their internal chemicals. They then simulated an acid-rain scenario to see how the chemicals in the bulbs would react, and what the resulting liquid would be composed of. They found that high-intensity red LED bulbs contained the highest levels of arsenic, a toxic element that damages cells and leads to cardiovascular problems, among other things.

And low-intensity red LED bulbs were found to have the highest levels of lead, a toxic heavy metal that damages bones, the heart, intestines, kidneys, and the reproductive and nervous systems. White bulbs had high level of nickel, another potentially damaging metal that can cause skin problems. In a landfill situation, broken LED bulbs can contaminate ground water supplies, rivers, streams, and lakes. In individual homes, the breakage of such bulbs is similar to CFLs in that careful cleanup is necessary as the residue is highly toxic. And even when taking precautions, bulb fumes and their corresponding chemicals can get into carpet and other hard-to-clean places, exposing young children to untold levels of such toxins over long periods of time. Employees at Nu-life Industries wear a hazmat suit when breaking CFL bulbs to protect them from mercury poisoning. January 20, 2011. TAGS CFL Bulbs and Mercury - How CFL Bulbs Work | HowStuffWorks CFL Bulbs and Mercury Prev Next If there is an ugly truth about CFL bulbs, it's the mercury they hold within their glass covers. Mercury is a persistent and highly toxic chemical. Most humans are exposed to the poison by eating fish contaminated with methyl mercury.

However, it's also possible to inhale elemental mercury vapor, like the kind used in compact fluorescent light bulbs. To see which is a bigger deal -- fish or fluorescent -- check out this related HowStuffWorks article . So why is it there, and why don't CFL manufacturers use something else? As we mentioned earlier, mercury vapor is required to convert electrical energy to radiant energy. When stimulated by electric current, mercury vapor inside a CFL produces ultraviolet light, which is re-radiated as visible light when it strikes the fluorescent compound, known as phosphor, painted on the inside of the bulb. No other element has proved as efficient in this process, so even though the amounts of mercury used in bulbs has decreased over time, a small amount of mercury is still required for CFLs to function properly. Up Next Top 5 Green Gadgets It's important to keep this in perspective. One CFL bulb typically requires approximately 0.000176 ounces (5 milligrams) of mercury.

Older home thermometers contain 100 times that amount (0.0176 ounces or 500 milligrams), and many manual thermostats contain 600 times that amount (0.106 ounces or 3,000 milligrams) [source: GE Consumer & Industrial Lighting ]. So, a single CFL bulb has very little mercury. And none of the chemical is released as long as the bulb remains intact. A broken CFL bulb, however, can expose a person to mercury vapor. A tiny amount of solid mercury powder can also be released. For these reasons, extra caution should be taken when cleaning up a broken CFL. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends following four easy steps: First, turn off your central heating or cooling system so fumes aren't moved from one room to another. Then open up the windows and let the room ventilate for 15 minutes. Next, it's time to clean up the broken bulb. Put on gloves to make sure you don't touch any of the mercury powder. Use a piece of cardboard to scoop up large pieces of glass. Switch to sticky tape to pick up small fragments and shards.

Don't use your vacuum cleaner, and make sure all broken pieces, tape and cardboard are placed in a plastic bag. Finally, wipe the area with a damp paper towel and place the used towel in the plastic bag, as well. Seal the bag and immediately throw it away. This should take care of a broken bulb. Up next, we'll look at what to do with a CFL bulb that burns out. A Quicksilver Lining The good news is that CFLs, although they contain mercury, actually help eliminate mercury from the environment. That's because mercury is also found in coal. Burning coal releases the toxin into the environment. Energy Star estimates that a coal-fired power plant produces 13.6 milligrams of mercury to power one 60-watt incandescent bulb, but only 3.3 milligrams to power an equivalent CFL bulb. Mercury in Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) Home › FAQs › Mercury in Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) Mercury in Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) What is in a CFL?

CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury vapour (around 5 mg), which is approximately 100 times less than the amount of mercury in an oral thermometer and roughly the amount that would cover the tip of a pen. The white powder inside the bulb is a metallic compound called phosphor. How do CFLs work? When a CFL is turned on, electricity causes the mercury vapour to produce short-wave ultraviolet (invisible) light, which then causes the phosphor to fluoresce and produce visible light. Mercury is the only element that is able to produce this effect. The mercury is not released as long as the lamp remains intact. Is it toxic? When a CFL is broken, the mercury vapour is released into the air. A small amount of mercury may be left attached to the white phosphor powder. The amount of mercury in a CFL is not considered dangerous but the following is recommended to minimize exposure. To clean-up a broken CFL: Leave the room and ventilate for 5-10 minutes before starting clean-up. Open windows and doors to the outdoors. After ventilation, scoop broken glass and powder onto a piece of stiff paper or cardboard.

Do not vacuum at this time as it may spread mercury vapour or mercury-containing powder. Use sticky tape to pick up smaller particles. Wipe the area with a damp disposable cloth or towel. Place all collected materials (broken glass, tape, cloth) in a sealed container such as a glass jar with a tight fitting lid or 2 sealed plastic bags. Place outside until you take to a recycling centre. After vacuuming the next few times, remove the vacuum bag or empty and wipe the canister with a damp disposable cloth or towel. For a list of nearby retail recycling centres visit How do I prevent breakage? Handle the CFL by the base of the lamp to prevent glass breakage. When the lamp is burned-out return it to your nearest recycling depot. I'm looking for more detailed information about CFLs. Visit Natural Resources Canada website: Need more information? Call the Poison Control Centre.

Question: What toxic chemical element is contained inside fluorescent bulbs?
Answer: Mercury