CFL Light Bulbs - How To Prevent Mercury Poisoning

CFL light bulbs are a great product, just be careful of how you handle them.

The EPA tells us that if every household in America replaced one “traditional” light bulb with an energy-saving compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) light bulb, it would result in $700 million in energy cost savings each year. Not only would our energy bill be reduced, but a greenhouse gas savings equivalent to that of 800,000 automobiles would kick in.

They are pricey, but CFL light bulbs tend to pay for themselves in under a year, and can last for many years in some cases. It’s no wonder they’re so popular.

The actual presence of mercury 'contained' in these light bulbs doesn’t make them dangerous. CFL light bulbs contain an average of 4 milligrams of mercury per bulb. The health risks are minimal if handled properly, and if you follow precautions about how to dispose of them. These tips will help prevent breakage that can make CFL light bulbs potentially dangerous.

The Environment Protection Agency offers some tips:

1. Screw/unscrew the bulb from the base - not the bulb area to prevent breakage

2. Never force a CFL light bulb into a light socket

3. When the bulb burns out, bring it to one of 3,106 recycling centers

The EPA website also provides guidance for dealing with broken bulbs.
Among the recommendations: DO NOT wash mercury-covered clothing - this will prevent contamination of other clothing; and DO NOT vacuum up the poison. There are special handling instructions to prevent poisoning in your household.

The EPA’s CFL mercury fact sheet can be viewed on its web site.

CFLs provide long-term energy and environmental cost savings. Minimize the health risks with just a little thoughtful care of their handling.