Did you know this about energy saving bulbs?

cassiehunt

We have energy saving bulbs in about half of our fixtures. I've even broken one once on my kitchen floor and swept it up and threw it away. But did you know they have mercury in them?! I didn't know. Here is the link to the EPA website and how you should dispose of CFL light bulbs. (great now I'm going to worry about my kids having mercury poisoning)
http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm#flourescent

LittleHowell

Thanks for sharing!  We don't use them, but were planning to buy them the next time we get light bulbs.  Maybe not anymore...

triumphantreturnofplanningbug

Unless you have kids huffing the fumes immediately after the bulb breaks and then licking the floor, chances are very good that you're not risking mercury poisoning. 
Please don't refrain from buying the energy saving bulbs because of mercury.  The amount of energy you save by switching is tremendous--a really great traditional bulb will last about 1/6th as long as a short-lasting CFL, and you can reduce your home energy consumption between 5-10% just by switching all your bulbs.  While mercury is nothing to totally dismiss, the risks are really comparatively low in relation to the CFL bulb benefits.

cassiehunt

This is what the EPA says to do if you break a bulb. (It sounds pretty risky to me)

What to Do if a Fluorescent Light Bulb Breaks
Fluorescent light bulbs contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing. EPA recommends the following clean-up and disposal guidelines:

1. Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.

2. Carefully scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a sealed plastic bag.

   1. Use disposable rubber gloves, if available (i.e., do not use bare hands). Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the plastic bag.

   2. Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

3. Place all cleanup materials in a second sealed plastic bag.

   1. Place the first bag in a second sealed plastic bag and put it in the outdoor trash container or in another outdoor protected area for the next normal trash disposal.
      Note: Some states prohibit such trash disposal and require that broken and unbroken lamps be taken to a local recycling center.

   2. Wash your hands after disposing of the bag.

4. If a fluorescent bulb breaks on a rug or carpet:

   1. First, remove all materials you can without using a vacuum cleaner, following the steps above. Sticky tape (such as duct tape) can be used to pick up small pieces and powder.

   2. If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken, remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister) and put the bag or vacuum debris in two sealed plastic bags in the outdoor trash or protected outdoor location for normal disposal.

triumphantreturnofplanningbug

I read the link you posted.  I don't at all mean to downplay the effects that mercury *can* have.  But the EPA procedures are what we'd be able to do in ideal circumstances.  (They also change.  Forty years ago, children played with mercury because it rolled, split up and recombined, and was really cool.  In the last five years, the EPA has also suggested airing a room for 12 hours after painting (with any paint, and I'm 99% sure they've changed this),  and setting up containment zones for any mold until it can be professionally tested, and yet allow batteries, cell phones, and computers (all of which contain various corrosives that can leak and contaminate) to be thrown out with other trash. 

Mercury is present in childhood vaccines, fish, and a variety of other everyday objects.  Obviously, it's preferable to avoid exposure, but if you read the EPA provided fact sheet you'll notice that you'd have to break 100 CFL bulbs to equal the amount of mercury in one thermometer, and the thermometer instructions are only:

• Have everyone else leave the area; don't let anyone walk through the mercury on their way out. Make sure all pets are removed from the area. Open all windows and doors to the outside; shut all doors to other parts of the house.

• DO NOT allow children to help you clean up the spill.

• Mercury can be cleaned up easily from the following surfaces: wood, linoleum, tile and any similarly smooth surfaces.

cassiehunt

Whew! That actually does make me feel better. I was a little nervous about the bulb I had already broken. I do plan on still using them, but I am going to be much more cautious when installing them around my children. I wish I had known about the mercury though before I tossed the other one in the trash.

rachelelaine

Actually, they're going to stop making the regular incandescent bulbs within the next few years.  It's either 2009 or 2012 I think. 

We've found that it's difficult to find an energy saving 3-way bulb though. 

wacissej2

I just have to add a funny/stupid story of something I did when I was younger.

I think I was maybe 10 yrs old and was trying to fake a fever and stay home from school one day. So I did like they do in the movies and held a thermometer up to a light bulb to raise the temp. Well, the thing broke in like 2 minutes and mercury spilled all over my nightstand. I thought the mercury was pretty cool how it made little balls and gelled together. I played with it for a while. (I don't think I ever touched it). But it was right next to my bed and I was really close to it all. Then eventually I put it in a sandwich baggie and threw it away.  I never got sick at all from it - and never got to stay home for my fake fever. I didn't learn about mercury posioning until about 12+ years later. But nonetheless I don't think it affected me at all.