Be Green, Be Safe
Filed under: Earth 911 - October 19, 2007
More and more parents are buying environmentally friendly compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), which use much less energy than standard bulbs and last uup to ten times longer.
But you may have heard that CFLs also contain small amounts of mercury (aobut 100 times less than an old mercury thermometer). That’s not enough to pose a health risk to you or your kids, but it’s still smart to take precautions.
If a bulb breaks open a window to let vapors escape and leave the room for 15 minutes. Wear disposable rubber gloves, and clean up the area with a wet paper towel or single-use wipe. Double-plastic bag everything for disposal, or when your CFLs burn out log on to earth911.org to find recycling options in your area or contact your municipal waste service to see whether it accepts bulbs during hazardous-waste-collection days. All IKEA stores offer free CFL recycling.