Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) along with more standard fluorescent lamps are assertively marketed as environmentally friendly due to their decreased electricity usage. Indeed, renowned replacement of incandescent bulbs with CFLs will cut down electricity demand; however, there are safety issues that ultimately promote to making LED lighting the superior choice. Discovering fluorescent lighting dangers can help check fluorescent light bulbs are utilized and thrown out safely while showing why LED lighting is the safest and most eco-friendly lighting alternative in the long run.
Mercury
The most commonly cited fluorescent lighting risk is mercury. Fluorescent and also CFL bulbs hold a small amount of mercury and are also identified with the basic symbol Hg. When these bulbs are chilled, some of the mercury in the lamp is in liquid form, but while the lamp is operating or when the lamp is very hot, most of the mercury is in a gaseous or steam form.
Mercury mist is really harmful. Even in fluid form, exposure to mercury is believed life-threatening or a “severe” danger to health. Even little doses of mercury could cause severe respiratory system damage, brain damage, kidney damage, central nervous system damage, and many other serious health conditions.
Disposed off improperly, mercury can infect infrastructures, landfills, lakes, wildlife, fish, birds, humans, vegetation and streams. In the US, the EPA has mandated waste handlers to handle fluorescent lamps as hazardous waste. Up to 95 percent of the mercury present in CFLs can be taken out if the bulbs are recycled properly.
Mercury-containing lamps generated by houses and small businesses are not always determined by legal restrictions, regarding their disposal. State laws deviate and some states, like California, Maine, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Vermont and also Massachusetts, prohibit every mercury-containing lights, including CFLs, from being discarded in the solid waste flow.
Because mercury can be released if a fluorescent lamp is shattered, it is important to install fixtures in places that the lamps are not likely to be destroyed. Fixtures in areas close to your soil or in locations with moving equipment should use metal or plastic shields to cover the lamp from being shattered. If a fluorescent lamp breaks, there are many safety and cleanup issues which we will discuss in more detail in the following page.
Breakage
Fluorescent lamps create several hazards if broken. Depending on the type, there may be a partial vacuum or the light bulb may be under pressure. Breaking the glass could cause shrapnel injuries, along with the release of mercury along with other unhealthy compounds.
The greatest immediate injury danger from a broken lamp is from the phosphor-coated glass. If cut with fluorescent lamp glass, any phosphor that enters the wound is likely to stop blood clotting and will interfere with recovery. Such injuries should be dealt with seriously and immediate medical attention should be obtained for individuals or domestic pets that are cut. Medical personnel should be informed that the injuries were due to a shattered fluorescent lamp, and that mercury was present.
To minimize exposure to mercury vapor, EPA and other experts advise a few measures. Children and pets should avoid the area, and windows must be opened for at least 15 minutes to ensure that vapors may disperse. Scrubbing can be done by hand using limited use materials. Use rubber throw-away gloves and scoop up the materials with stiff paper or cardboard. Get sticky tape to pick up small pieces and powder, sanitize the area with a saturated paper towel, and wipe out the materials in an outside trash bin. Never use a vacuum seeing that this will only scatter the mercury mist and leave particles buried in the cleaner bag.
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