Broken energy saving bulb

[JamesA]

I broke an energy saving bulb last night. I had to use tweezers to get the last couple of bits out of the fitting and dustpan and brush.
What precautions do I need to take for the mercury? There's only a low level isn't there?
Airing the room out and scrubbing my hands and washing the dustpan should be enough shouldn't it?
I'm not planning to go to the dump for some time. Is it safe to leave the broken bulb in its box in a cupboard?

 

[JohnD]

another way to pick up broken glass and small fragments is to wrap sellotape into a pad (sticky side out) and pat the carpet or floor with it.

If it is not something dangerous like broken glass, you can wrap it round your hand.

 

[libby lou lou]

Not got the link. but a women somewhere was told to evauate, all the emergencies came down, bit overplayed, america i think.

 

[vsynth]

There was a recent scare on the news about this.

Basically the advice went something like,

1) Open a window and evacuate the room for 15 mins.

2)Collect the debris into a plastic bag and seal it, do not vacuum! as this spreads the contamination.

3) Take it either to your local tip ( who will have a specialist waste disposal ) or take it back to the shop...you actually pay a premium when you buy low energy bulbs which include the clause that the shop has to take it back and dispose of it.

Not sure if this is just scare mongering though since if it was so important/hazardous then why aren't there instructions on the boxes?

 

[DJM]

have alook at this link http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7172662.stm

includes the quote

Toxicologist Dr David Ray, from the University of Nottingham, said about 6-8mg of mercury was present in a typical low-energy bulb, which he described as a "pretty small amount".

"Mercury accumulates in the body - especially the brain," he said. "The biggest danger is repeated exposure - a one off exposure is not as potentially dangerous compared to working in a light bulb factory.

"If you smash one bulb then that is not too much of a hazard. However, if you broke five bulbs in a small unventilated room then you might be in short term danger."

Though it's interesting to note that mercury thermometers and barometers have been banned due to the dangers inherent in them. And I can also remember the days of yore when kids were allowed to do real experiments which might interest them in physics, chemistry engineering etc where one was to pour mercury onto a table to show how it reacted. Those were the days

 

[DJM]

i wonder how much energy is saved after each person has made a special trip to dump/shop in the car for one low energy bulb. Since they are dangerous, you wont be saving the old ones up top make the trrip economic now will you? And since most of the public will have bought them from that awful place Ikea, they will have spent 2 hours pumping out fumes queuing to get into the car park and back out just for one bulb.

When are our 'leaders' going to realise that they need to ensure the public are properly educated and the infrastructure for recycling is in place before placing blanket bans on incandescent bulbs.

sorry rant mode off

 

[JohnD]

Ah yes, kids playing with mercury, and getting a clip round the ear if they misbehaved.

We used to have special schools for "imbeciles" and for deaf children, too

 

[BS3036]

According to my dentist, they still use mercury in fillings...

 

[DJM]

Ah yes, kids playing with mercury, and getting a clip round the ear if they misbehaved.

We used to have special schools for "imbeciles" and for deaf children, too

I wasnsuggesting that we should follow the Madame Curie school of experimentation or return to the days of the school yob pouring acid over the text books, but the H&S nanny has all but eradicated science as a subject in schools today. Where are our innovatotrs, scientists and engineers going to come from without some element of risk or interest. good god even teh adverts for teaching shows them all wearing goggles to puff a bit of coloured air over a paper model.

But mostly my point was about preventing hysteria or health issues (perceived or otherwise) by educating and having teh correct infrastructure to use and dispose of the CFl lights.

 

[JamesA]

...3) Take it either to your local tip ( who will have a specialist waste disposal ) or take it back to the shop...you actually pay a premium when you buy low energy bulbs which include the clause that the shop has to take it back and dispose of it.
...

When I bought some different bulbs online recently, the invoice had a separate entry at 20p each for the disposal.
Sounds like a con for online shops as who's going to send them back?

I bought these from Morrisons. I bet I'll get some puzzled looks if I try and give the broken bulb to them

 

[vsynth]

i wonder how much energy is saved after each person has made a special trip to dump/shop in the car for one low energy bulb. Since they are dangerous, you wont be saving the old ones up top make the trrip economic now will you? And since most of the public will have bought them from that awful place Ikea, they will have spent 2 hours pumping out fumes queuing to get into the car park and back out just for one bulb.

When are our 'leaders' going to realise that they need to ensure the public are properly educated and the infrastructure for recycling is in place before placing blanket bans on incandescent bulbs.

sorry rant mode off

Indeed, for several years I have always taken a flight over to china to return each low energy bulb that I have had fail to the manufacturer.

Somehow I think that these bulbs are having a greater enviromental impact on the planet than the ones I used to just throw in the bin

 

[JamesA]

In fairness, it's likely to be a tiny minority of bulbs that are actually broken rather than burnt out so people probably can save them up to take to the tip when they've a car full.
There's going to have to be better collection points if they don't want us to have cars in the future.
Can you imagine a load of people sat on the bus with all their rubbish for the tip

I took it back in the end and got a replacement.
They were on offer and if I'd bought them this week I'd have saved the cost of one bulb, so it worked out even.
There must be karma. My name is James.

 

[JohnD]

I think I've seen a "dispose of your old CFLs here" bin

Might have been in a Robert Dyas shop.