Are these procedures really needed if you break a CFL light bulb?

[Raineyrocks]

 "MALCOLM'S JUNK SCIENCE POLICY
by Betty Luks
Hands up those who heard the Minister for the Environment Malcolm Turnbull lauding the present government's 'clean green' plan to switch from the incandescent light bulbs to the compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) in the near future?

When this family first read of the potential hazards of the soon to be compulsory CFLs we phoned the local supermarket about them. No, the manager hadn't heard they were a potential environmental hazard so he followed up the matter and reported back to us. Yes, it was correct they were a known hazard, but no, government wasn't going to do anything about the matter till the old bulbs were being phased out.

Now read on: "Junk Science: Light Bulb Lunacy," by Steven Milloy, 29/4/07(US spelling).
How much money does it take to screw in a compact fluorescent lightbulb? About US$4.28 for the bulb and labour - unless you break the bulb. Then you, like Brandy Bridges of Ellsworth, Maine, could be looking at a cost of about $2,004.28, which doesn't include the costs of frayed nerves and risks to health. Sound crazy? Perhaps no more than the stampede to ban the incandescent light bulb in favour of compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) - a move already either adopted or being considered in California, Canada, the European Union and Australia.

According to an April 12 article in The Ellsworth American, Bridges had the misfortune of breaking a CFL during installation in her daughter's bedroom: It dropped and shattered on the carpeted floor. Aware that CFLs contain potentially hazardous substances, Bridges called her local Home Depot for advice.
The store told her that the CFL contained mercury and that she should call the Poison Control hotline, which in turn directed her to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP):

The DEP sent a specialist to Bridges' house to test for mercury contamination. The specialist found mercury levels in the bedroom in excess of six times the state's "safe" level for mercury contamination of 300 billionths of a gram per cubic meter.
The DEP specialist recommended that Bridges call an environmental cleanup firm, which reportedly gave her a "low-ball" estimate of $2,000 to clean up the room. The room then was sealed off with plastic and Bridges began "gathering finances" to pay for the $2,000 cleaning.

Reportedly, her insurance company wouldn't cover the cleanup costs because mercury is a pollutant. Given that the replacement of incandescent bulbs with CFLs in the average U.S. household is touted as saving as much as $180 annually in energy costs - and assuming that Bridges doesn't break any more CFLs - it will take her more than 11 years to recoup the cleanup costs in the form of energy savings.

Even if you don't go for the full-scale panic of the $2,000 cleanup, the do-it-yourself approach is still somewhat intense, if not downright alarming. Consider the procedure offered by the Maine DEP's Web page entitled, "What if I accidentally break a fluorescent bulb in my home?"
§ Don't vacuum bulb debris because a standard vacuum will spread mercury-containing dust throughout the area and contaminate the vacuum. Ventilate the area and reduce the temperature. Wear protective equipment like goggles, coveralls and a dust mask.
§ Collect the waste material into an airtight container. Pat the area with the sticky side of tape. Wipe with a damp cloth. Finally, check with local authorities to see where hazardous waste may be properly disposed."

http://www.alor.org/Volume43/Vol43No19.htm

[Raineyrocks]

   I think that I'm confused.  Are the CFL the new light bulbs the govt. wants everyone to use?   I was thinking these are the ones they want to ban but now I'm not sure.

[doobie]

Yes they are.... mercury is found in CFL light bulbs.

[Raineyrocks]

Yes they are.... mercury is found in CFL light bulbs.

Thank you!     So the older ones are safer and I should stock up before the ban, right?

[Coconut]

I accidentally broke one carrying a mattress.

The pieces went all over my head.

[Raineyrocks]

I accidentally broke one carrying a mattress.

The pieces went all over my head.

Ouch!   What did you do?

[doobie]

Yes they are.... mercury is found in CFL light bulbs.

Thank you!     So the older ones are safer and I should stock up before the ban, right?

Yes, you want to stock up on all your pre-ban light bulbs now, before you are forced to only have post-ban hazardous chemical laden bulbs in your house.

[John Edward Mercier]

If you want the incandescent, then by all mean purchase some.

[Raineyrocks]

Yes they are.... mercury is found in CFL light bulbs.

Thank you!     So the older ones are safer and I should stock up before the ban, right?

Yes, you want to stock up on all your pre-ban light bulbs now, before you are forced to only have post-ban hazardous chemical laden bulbs in your house.

If you want the incandescent, then by all mean purchase some.

Okay, thanks! 

[Pat McCotter]

While cleaning up at one of my jobs I tried to pick up a 5 gallon chemical container with about a gallon of liquid in it. I couldn't budge it. It was mercury used in manometers. A gallon of mercury weighs about 113 lbs.

[Raineyrocks]

While cleaning up at one of my jobs I tried to pick up a 5 gallon chemical container with about a gallon of liquid in it. I couldn't budge it. It was mercury used in manometers. A gallon of mercury weighs about 113 lbs.

Geesh, that's heavy!   What if it spilled on you?

[John Edward Mercier]

Yes they are.... mercury is found in CFL light bulbs.

Thank you!     So the older ones are safer and I should stock up before the ban, right?

Yes, you want to stock up on all your pre-ban light bulbs now, before you are forced to only have post-ban hazardous chemical laden bulbs in your house.

If you want the incandescent, then by all mean purchase some.

Okay, thanks! 

I meant that to mean that the manufacturers will cease production... I'm not even quite sure whether they were in on it.
CFL and LED seem to be the large 'push' at the moment... leaving the market to decide is just not in their nature.

[AntonLee]

Mad Hatters know the effects of mercury well

[Ogre]

I am working on stockpiling incandescent bulbs now, as they will soon be illegal (I think 2012?). I'm not sure, at that point, if it will just be illegal to manufacture more, or if I will be a felon for having the "intent to distribute" incandescent light bulbs.

[John Edward Mercier]

The manufacturers will stop long before the retailers do to run down inventory.