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Compact Fluorescent Light bulb Dangers
My DH forwarded this to me, his company (an engineering firm) just sent this out for the second time after one of their employees has a CFL light bulb installed upside down in a ceiling fan that melted this past weekend. Thankfully she was at home when it happened and in the room. Since I didn't know this myself, I thought I would pass it on. FYI- CFL light bulbs are the ones that look like a glass coil.
Hi Folks,
Well, I?ve got a new hazard for you to worry about. In the past couple of years, CFL Light bulbs or Compact Fluorescent Lights have become more popular and less expensive to purchase and therefore are showing up more and more in everyone?s household and workplaces. You know the ones I?m talking about, they are a slim curly type bulb that replaces the old incandescent lights. The problem with them is that they have a very high rate of failure if not properly installed, and if they fail, they may very likely release a highly toxic substance, Mercury. The average amount of Mercury contained in a CFL is 5mg. Breaking a bulb in an average size room in the home can result in mercury vapor levels 300 times in excess of what EPA has established as safe for prolonged exposure. Mercury is a neurotoxin and can be particularly dangerous in exposure to children.
The primary hazard with CFL?s is the manner in which they are installed and used, which can lead to a fire hazard. CFL?s should never be installed in a track lighting system, or on a dimmer light circuit. Both can lead to premature failure. The most hazardous use of the bulb however, is when installed inverted with the bulb down, screw base up, this leads to high levels of heat generation which then travel upward and can fry the electronic components in the ballast of the base. Currently 90 % of these bulbs are manufactured in China, where quality control is questionable.
When CFL?s burn out, they will often create an acrid plastic odor, those without an internal fuse will melt or smoke until power is turned off. CFLs will also release mercury vapor in the air if they break, so they must be disposed or recycled appropriately.
Re: Compact Fluorescent Light bulb Dangers
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