You know those funny-looking compact fluorescent lightbulbs, the ones touted as using as much as 75% less energy than an incandescent bulb? More and more of us are using them in our homes to reduce energy consumption — lowering electric bills and cutting back on greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere. But here’s something I only just learned. These bulbs contain mercury — which means they must be properly handled in order to avoid both personal danger and polluting the environment we’re trying to protect.
The amount of mercury contained in each CFL bulb is miniscule, I learned from John M. Balbus, MD, MPH, chief health scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org). Generally speaking, Dr. Balbus told me that he doesn’t consider intact CFLs a danger at all. “The risk from breaking a single bulb is relatively small, so if the bulb is intact, there is no measurable exposure to mercury,” he says.
However, broken CFLs must be handled with care. In that case, the Environmental Protection Agency recommends following a fairly rigorous set of guidelines for cleanup, including ventilating the room where the break happened for 15 minutes before you start the job… scooping up large broken pieces with two pieces of cardboard (or something similar, so you don’t touch the glass)… using the sticky side of tape to clean up the smaller pieces… depositing the debris into a jar with a lid or a zip-top bag. For hard surfaces, wipe up the area with damp paper towels or disposable wipes and put in a container. It’s important to avoid direct contact. Seal all the debris in the bag or jar, and then take it to a recycling center for safe disposal. If the break occurs on carpet or other surfaces, more stringent measures are required — for step-by-step cleanup advice, visit the EPA’s mercury cleanup site, www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm.
This brings me to the real long-term problem with CFLs — disposal. Chucking the bulbs (broken or not) into the trash means that mercury is being introduced into landfills. Not only could this put the individuals who process that waste in danger, it also means that mercury will eventually leach into the environment. While one bulb doesn’t seem like much, multiplying it by millions of bulbs increases risk that mercury (which is an element, so it doesn’t ever break down) enters the groundwater or contaminates soil. It is a problem that shouldn’t be ignored, since mercury is a potent toxin that can cause brain and kidney damage, especially in a developing fetus.
CFL bulbs should be recycled at hazardous waste centers. Few people I have spoken to are aware of this — so spread the word. If you don’t know where the household hazardous waste recycling facility is in your area, visit www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/id/univwast/lamps/live.htm. CFLs do reduce energy usage and save money as promised. Just be careful how you use and dispose of them.
