[Rocky]

This is the first article in a series to be published. The second was already posted by someone else. CFLs are another example of government interference, forcing us down a path when not all of the evidence is in. To paraphrase Nancy Pelosi, we have to force everyone to use CFLs before we can find out if it's a good idea.

[FES0844]

Breaking a single CFL bulb

I’m surprised the sanitation union isn’t more concerned for their union workers who pickup this trash.

[faucetman]

What do the dangers of Global warming, Hydraulic fracturing, and CFL light bulbs have in common?

They are all made up hysterical exaggerations.

If you want to waste money, energy, and time, go ahead and continue to be stupid and use incandescent light bulbs. You are allowed to be ignorant in this country.

[Safetgiver]

Breaking a single CFL bulb in a room can result in mercury vapor levels 300 times in excess of what the EPA has established as safe for prolonged exposure....Read that. What the EPA has established. If they established that oxygen at 1% above what they FEEL is unsafe would you go for it? Mercury is heavier than lead, it does not stay in the breathable region for a long time, and does not off gas until heated a lot more than 120 watts will heat it. This is all BS. Break all the CFLs and florescent bulbs you might run across in a ten year period and you are NOT in a dangerous situation. Our main problem should be where did government find the power to say we have to use these crappy products? Next thing (IN 20 YEARS OR SO) they will will find everyone has reduced ocular powers and mandate everyone must purchase enhanced sight goggles or something else they can make a profit on.

[newnhdad]

agenda first.. Wonder how much money the insider traders in Congress made of this deal.

[Venturer]

So what are we supposed to do with these bulbs when they stop working?

Right now I just throw the incandescent bulbs in the trash.

I don’t always have a lot of room in my trash can, so I sometimes put my foot in it and mash it down so I can get more in. This will probably crush the bulb if I throw it in there with the trash.

Am I supposed to drive this bulb to a special haz mat dump to get rid of it?Has one been established in every part of our country? Will I be fined if I am caught throwing one in my trash can?

More unintended consequences.

[immadashell]

“Breaking a single CFL bulb in a room can result in mercury vapor levels 300 times in excess of what the EPA has established as safe for prolonged exposure.

The last nine words of the above quote are instructional. First, the EPA (containing vast amounts of political quackery) is involved, and, Second, "prolonged exposure" implies either the "gas" hangs around for a really, really long time or you are constantly breaking, on a daily basis, the very expensive and flimsy bulbs (where's the cost savings here?). I would suggest that even a brief exposure to the EPA is infinitely more dangerous.

[The Great RJ]

Just read the EPA's own recommendations for cleaning up a broken CFL Link While the EPA tries to pooh-pooh the danger saying the mercury content in a single CFL is 1/100th that of a mercury thermometer, the EPA regards mercury vapor as dangerous in even the most minute quantities. With CFLs there is no simple sweeping up the broken pieces and dumping them into the trash and this elaborate clean-up procedure is needed because of the obvious health and environmental hazard.

[bigbob]

The potential mercury risk is completely overblown BS.

If a bulb breaks, only 0.67 milligrams of mercury (one-third of 40 percent of the 5 milligrams in a typical CFL) might become airborne in the room during the first eight hours, and only a fraction of that would be breathed in. In short, the exposure from breaking a compact fluorescent bulb is in about the same range as the exposure from eating a can or two of tuna fish.

This isn’t politics, it’s science.

[Paine in the Neck]

Mail your broken or burnt CFLs to your Congressman.

[ßuddaßudd]

I cant beleive the Gov would allow something so dangerous to be sold to the public . . .
Its trash people’s problem, not mine.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Will the EPA’s “Standard Operating Procedure for Sampling of Vapor Phase Mercury” (below - ref http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/lmmb/methods/lmsamsvp.pdf) be required to certify your room is safe for re-entry?

Volume 1, Chapter 1. SOP for Sampling of Vapor Phase Mercury
Appendix A. Facilities, Equipment and Reagents

1. Preparation of Field Supplies
- Class 100 Clean Room, Work Stations
- Clean Room Gloves
- Particle-free Wipes
- Clean Room Cap, Gown and Boots
- Milli-Q Water (18.2MÙ/cm)
- Exhaust Hood
- Acetone
- Alconox
- Polyethylene Tubs
- EM Science Tracepur and Suprapur Hydrochloric Acid
- Polytherm Water Bath (Science/Electronics)
- Baker Instra-Analyzed or EM Science Suprapur Nitric Acid
- New Polyethylene Bags
- 20 L Polyethylene Carboys

2. Sample Collection
- Mass Flow Controlled Vacuum Pump (URG, Model 3000-02M)
- Calibrated 300 cc/min. Rotameter (Matheson)
- HDPE Tubing with quick connects
- Black Latex Tubing
- Mercury Sampling Box (UMAQL, See Appendix B)
- Acid-Cleaned 47 mm Teflon Filter Holders (Savillex, PFA Labware)
- 47 mm Preheated Glass Fiber Filters (Gelman Sciences A/E)
- Acid-Cleaned Teflon Jars (Savillex, PFA Labware)
- Teflon-Coated Forceps
- ‘Blanked’ Gold-Bead Traps (UMAQL)
- Teflon Endplugs
- Trap Heater & Variable Transformer
- Acid-Cleaned Teflon Tubing
- Particle-Free Gloves
- Teflon Tape
- Sample Labels
- Field Operator Log Book
- Shipping Boxes

3. Sample Analysis
- Cold Vapor Atomic Florescence Detector (Brooks Rand, LTD.)
- Line Tamer/Conditioner (Shape Magnetronics Model PCLT 150)
- Integrator (Hewlett-Packard Model 3390A)
- Helium, Ultra High Purity Grade (99.999%)
- Mass Flow Controller (Tylan)
- Nichrome Coils (UMAQL)
- Electric Leads
- Variable Transformers (Staco Energy Products Co. Type 3PN1010)
- Cooling Fans
- Gold-Coated Glass Bead Traps (UMAQL)
- Gas Tight Syringe (Hamilton series 1800)
- Injection Port (UMAQL)
- Constant Temperature Circulating Water Bath (Fisher Model 901)
- Instrument Grade Metallic Mercury (Triple Distilled)
- Mercury Flask (UMAQL)
- Certified Immersion Thermometer (Kessler Instruments, Inc. 15041A)