[SustainableTompkins] broken CFL/mercury clean up

[Wendy Skinner]

May I recommend that this information be posted on the ST website?

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Thomas Shelley" <tjs1 at cornell.edu>
To: <sustainabletompkins at lists.mutualaid.org>
Sent: Saturday, June 28, 2008 10:55 PM
Subject: [SustainableTompkins] broken CFL/mercury clean up


> Dear Friends--There has been some concern over the mercury content of
> CFLs.  This has bordered on hysteria in some circles.  In extreme cases
> people have called the local Haz Mat Squad over a broken CFL and then been
> billed thousands of dollars for the clean up of one broken bulb.
>
> Mercury is indeed a hazardous material.  Ingested or breathed in for a 
> long
> enough time in sufficient concentration it can cause neurological 
> problems,
> birth defects and many other very serious problems.  The fact is that the
> amount of mercury in a CFL is tiny, especially in the newer models.  The
> amount of mercury in the even the older style of CFLs is 125 times less 
> the
> amount of mercury in a mercury medical thermometer.  Since this amount is
> so small, it is not of great concern if the broken bulb is cleaned up 
> properly:
>
> air out the room where the bulb broke
> carefully clean up the broken glass and powder without lofting the 
> material
> into the air
> (don't use vigorous broom sweeping and never use a vacuum cleaner--gently
> scrap up the glass and the powder with file cards or thin cardboard)
> clean up the remaining dust with masking tape or duct tape
> double wrap the broken glass and the clean up materials in heavy weight
> zip-lock plastic bags
> take the bag(s) to the next household hazardous waste day at the Tompkins
> County Solid Waste Management District facility on Commercial Ave.
> air the room out some more when you are finished with the cleanup
>
> Many special mercury clean up kits are available and most of them are o.k.
> to use, but they are a waste of money.  Many of them are also sold under 
> an
> air of hysteria; some of the kit manufactures even state that you should
> call the Haz Mat Squad OR use their product.
>
> The following link it to an EPA document on CFLs and the clean up of a
> broken bulb.  The procedures outlined by the EPA take more precautions 
> than
> I feel are really needed for the level of mercury involved, but I suppose
> it is more important to be overly cautious than not.
>
> http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf
>
> Another document dealing with not only the clean up of CFLs but other
> larger mercury spills, such as broken thermometers is:
>
> http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm#flourescent
>
> The obvious solution is not to break a CFL in the first place.  As with 
> all
> delicate bulbs they should always be handled with great care; never let
> children change or handle CFLs.  Even so, accidents happen and I hope this
> is useful information for those who may need it one day.  Take care.   Tom
>
> P.S.:  I am not pulling my information on the hazards of mercury and
> mercury spill clean up procedures out of thin air.  I am a chemist and a
> hazardous materials expert by training and profession and I've been in the
> field for over 30 years.  If you have any questions about the above post,
> please feel free to contact me off-line and I can supply you with
> additional information.
>
> Tom Shelley
> 118 E. Court St.
> Ithaca, NY 14850
> 607 342-0864
> tjs1 at cornell.edu
> http://www.myspace.com/99319958
> P I thank you for printing this e-mail only if it is necessary
>
> "Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the 
> present
> without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
> needs."
>
> The World Commission on Environment and Development,
> Gro Harlem Brundtland
> Our Common Future, Oxford University Press, 1987
>
> MY NOTE:  Sustainable development does not mean "sustainable growth" as
> growth per se is not sustainable.  And the term "sustainable" has to mean
> "for a very long time" (A. Bartlett).
>
> "The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives."        Sioux 
> proverb
> Tom Shelley
> 118 E. Court St.
> Ithaca, NY 14850
> 607 342-0864
> tjs1 at cornell.edu
> http://www.myspace.com/99319958
> P I thank you for printing this e-mail only if it is necessary
>
> "Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the 
> present
> without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
> needs."
>
> The World Commission on Environment and Development,
> Gro Harlem Brundtland
> Our Common Future, Oxford University Press, 1987
>
> MY NOTE:  Sustainable development does not mean "sustainable growth" as
> growth per se is not sustainable.  And the term "sustainable" has to mean
> "for a very long time" (A. Bartlett).
>
> "The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives."        Sioux 
> proverb
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