Two reports were recently issued by the state of Maine and the Vermont-based Mercury Policy Project stating that compact florescent lamps (those spiral light bulbs) can pose a small risk of mercury poisoning to young people and pregnant women. Oh no! How did they figure that out?
For the Maine study, researchers broke 65 of the bulbs in question and tested the air for mercury vapors. They found that the levels of vapor in the air exceeded federal guidelines for chronic exposure by as much as 100 times! “We found some very high levels [of mercury] even after we tried a number of cleanup techniques,” said Mark Hyland, director of Maine’s Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management. Really? I wonder why? 65 bulbs? Who goes around doing that? Who has 65 light bulbs stored in their house somewhere that can be easily accessed by young children and pregnant women?
At least the people in Vermont are a bit more realistic. “Using compact fluorescent bulbs is still the brightest idea out there,” say Michael Bender, director of the Mercury Policy Project. “The message is: People should not be afraid but informed and prepared and learn how to dispose of them properly.”
The florescent bulbs only use about 1% the amount of mercury that old thermometers used and the risk of exposure to it can be greatly reduced if you exercise some common sense when using them. It is recommended that should one of your bulbs should break, get children and pets out and ventilate the room. Scoop up the pieces with a stiff paper such as an index card and place in a glass jar to be disposed of outside of the house. Never use a vacuum, even on carpet. Wipe the area with a wet paper towel. They even go so far as to suggest cutting the piece of carpet out should the bulb break on it.
But the risk of mercury exposure isn’t that great in your home. It’s out in the landfills. Most people throw away their used florescent bulbs in their trashcans and send them off to landfills. Here they break and release the mercury vapors in mass quantities. Remember those 65 light bulbs and how toxic the air was after they broke? Over 300 million fluorescent bulbs were sold in the United States last year and perhaps as many as 1 billion bulbs will be sold this year. That’s a lot of mercury. What are we to do?
Each state has different disposal regulations and some have banned regular trash disposal, stating that florescent bulbs are household hazardous waste. Be sure to check where your local collection sites are. Ikea stores also have recycling containers for florescent lights.
All in all, compact florescent light bulbs are still great for the environment (only using 25% the energy of regular light bulbs and lasting 10+ years) and are relatively safe if you familiarize yourself of the risks and dispose of them correctly.
