New Orleans Times-Picayune: CFLs AND MERCURY
Filed under: Earth 911 - June 23, 2007
June 23, 2007
While compact fluorescent lights contain small amounts of mercury, none is released while the bulbs are in use, and experts agree they’re safe to use in the home.
In fact, Wendy Reed, manager of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program, which gives the bulbs its seal of approval, says that CFLs contribute less mercury to the environment than incandescent bulbs. That’s because they use less electricity and coal-fired power plants are the biggest source of mercury emissions in the air, she told National Public Radio recently.
However, care is recommended in recycling old bulbs and in handling broken ones.
According to CFL manufacturer General Electric, research has found no immediate health risk from broken bulbs. You can minimize any risk, however, by following proper cleanup guidelines:
- Sweep up — don’t vacuum — all of the glass fragments and fine particles.
- Place pieces in a sealed plastic bag and wipe the area with a damp paper towel to pick up fine particles. Put the used towel in the plastic bag as well.
- If weather permits, open windows to ventilate the room.
Like paint, batteries and other hazardous household items, old CFLs should be disposed of properly. Do not throw away CFLs in household garbage if better disposal options exist. A check at www.earth911.org found only one site in Louisiana where the bulbs can be recycled. Lamp Environmental Industries (www.lei-inc.net) accepts household CFLs at its facility in Independence (Tangapahoa Parish.) “You come in and fill out a slip and we accept it for free,” a spokesperson said, noting that there is a charge for business waste.
CFLs contain an average of 5 milligrams of mercury. By comparison, older thermometers contain 500 milligrams, and many manual thermostats contain up to 3,000 milligrams.
The EPA says that airborne mercury poses a very low risk of exposure. However, when mercury emissions deposit into lakes and oceans, they can transform into methyl mercury, which builds up in fish. Fish consumption is the most common pathway for human exposure to mercury.