What should you do when a compact fluorescent light breaks?
What should you do when a compact fluorescent light breaks?
Get yourself into another zip code.
By now I’m sure you’ve seen the light bulb of the future – the compact fluorescent light (CFL) that uses a swirled tube to replace the incandescent bulb. Maybe you’re already using these new bulbs in your home. If you are, then you should know they contain mercury, which means that breakage poses a safety problem.
A recent issue of Consumer Reports notes that mercury is a neurotoxin, so the EPA suggests you take the following steps when a CFL breaks:
- Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes
- When cleaning breakage on hard floors, wear disposable rubber gloves, scoop up the debris with cardboard, then clean up with a damp paper towel
- When cleaning debris on carpet, pick up fragments and powder with sticky tape before vacuuming
- Place all debris and cleaning materials (gloves, cardboard, etc.) into a plastic bag and seal it
- Place the bag in ANOTHER plastic bag and seal it (remember – it’s not just a toxin, it’s a NEUROtoxin)
- After vacuuming, remove the vacuum bag, put it in a plastic bag and seal it – then put it in another plastic bag and seal it
- Put all bags in the trash outside, then wash your hands
Of course, if your doctor suggests that you get a vaccine that uses mercury as a preservative – hey, no problem! The FDA says that’s just fine!
But if he drops the syringe and it breaks, you know the drill: open a window, leave the room, get out the plastic bags, etc.
Right and find another doctor.
