What should you do when a compact fluorescent light breaks?

[Guest guest]

aka, " Good News of the Week " . . .

 

[hsibaltimore.com]

 

....and another thing

 

What should you do when a compact fluorescent light breaks?

 

Get yourself into another zip code.

 

By now I'm sure you've seen the light bulb of the future – the compact

fluorescent light (CFL) that uses a swirled tube to replace the

incandescent bulb. Maybe you're already using these new bulbs in your

home. If you are, then you should know they contain mercury, which means

that breakage poses a safety problem.

 

A recent issue of Consumer Reports notes that mercury is a neurotoxin,

so the EPA suggests you take the following steps when a CFL breaks:

 

Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes

 

When cleaning breakage on hard floors,

wear disposable rubber gloves, scoop up the debris with cardboard, then

clean up with a damp paper towel

 

When cleaning debris on carpet, pick up fragments and powder with sticky

tape before vacuuming

 

Place all debris and cleaning materials (gloves, cardboard, etc.) into a

plastic bag and seal it

 

Place the bag in ANOTHER plastic bag and seal it (remember – it's not

just a toxin, it's a NEUROtoxin)

 

After vacuuming, remove the vacuum bag, put it in a plastic bag and seal

it – then put it in another plastic bag and seal it

Put all bags in the trash outside, then wash your hands

 

Of course, if your doctor suggests that you get a vaccine that uses

mercury as a preservative – hey, no problem! The FDA says that's just

fine!

 

But if he drops the syringe and it breaks, you know the drill: open a

window, leave the room, get out the plastic bags, etc.

 

Right…and find another doctor.

 

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson

 

Sources:

" What To Do if a CFL Breaks or Smokes " Consumer Reports, October 2007,

consumerreports.org