We have all been reading about the dangers of compact fluorescent bulbs lately. Let’s start by talking about the good that they can bring to our environment. The use of Fluorescent bulbs in your offices and your homes can help save you money on your energy bill. Studies have shown that if every household used one compact Fluorescent bulb, we would reduce the pollution equivalent of 800,000 cars emissions.

Now for the bad about these bulbs. We are being told that these bulbs have mercury in them, which is a toxic chemical for the human body. These bulbs contain about 5 milligrams of mercury compared to 500 milligrams in the older thermometers. This works out to about 500 bulbs to equal the amount of mercury we had in our old thermometers. What should you do if you have a bulb break in your home?

A. Open a window and leave the room for at least 15 minutes.

B. Use synthetic gloves and scoop up the broken glass and powder with stiff paper (3 x 5 cards) and place them in a sealed bag. DO NOT use a vacuum cleaner or broom to clean up the broken bulb from hard surfaces. If the bulb breaks on the carpet, you will need to use some sticky tape, like duck tape to try to pull up the powder. If you have to vacuum, remove the bag and place it in the bag with the other material. If you have a vacuum cleaner with a canister wipe the canister down before placing it back into the vacuum cleaner.

C. Place the sealed bag inside of a second bag. Remove the disposable gloves and wash your hands. Check with your local waste management company to find out how to dispose of this toxic waste.

These lights will be very helpful to our environment as more and more households install them. We just need to keep ourselves informed as to how to handle them when they break. Our safety and well-being should always be on our minds.