CFL's and mercury......

Plenty of debate whether or not to use Compact Fluorescent Lighting (CFL's) because of the mercury content in them.

According to EnergyStar, a United States Environmental Protection Agency and United States energy program, the amount of mercury in a CFL is about 4 milligrams (mg). In comparison, an old thermometer contained about 500 mg of mercury-an amount equal to 125 CFL's.

However, because of the outcry against CFL's due to their mercury content, many manufacturer's have developed technology to reduce the amount of mercury down to as little as 1 mg per lamp.

How should you properly clean up a CFL if it should happen to break? The DOE recommends the following:

BEFORE CLEANUP

1. Have people and pets leave the room

2. Air out the room for 5-10 minutes by opening a window or door to the outdoor evironment.

3. Shut off the central forced air/heating air/conditioning (H&AC system), if you have one.

4. Collect materials needed to clean up broken bulb.

DURING CLEANUP

1. Be thorough in collecting broken glass and visable powder

2. Place cleanup materials in a sealable container

AFTER CLEANUP

1. Promptly place all bulb debris and cleanup materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area until materials can be disposed of properly. Avoid leaving any bulb fragments or cleanup materials indoors.

2. For several hours, continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the H&AC system shut off.