It was recommended she replace the rug - which you would also deduce from the instructions on the states own site - that would close a bit more than $5.00 -
In addition, I think it's beneath FR's standards to continually accuse someone of 'dishonesty' and now "dishonest or stupid"
For the other reading this, I refer you too the states list of steps to take if you break one of these bulbs - and to the story this poster continues to deride - I leave it to your own judgment if I am either or both "dishonest or stupid"
http://www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/homeowner/fluorescent.htm
http://ellsworthmaine.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7446&Itemid=31
Excerpt: "In the daughter’s bedroom, the levels remained well below the 300 mark, except for near the carpet where the bulb broke. There the mercury levels spiked to 1,939 ng/m3. On a bag of toys that bulb fragments had landed on, the levels of mercury were 556 ng/m3.
Bridges was told by the specialist not to clean up the bulb and mercury powder by herself. He recommended the Clean Harbors Environmental Services branch in Hampden.
Clean Harbors gave Bridges a low-ball estimate of $2,000, based on what she described, to clean up the room properly. The work entailed removing anything with levels greater than 300 ng/m3, including the carpeting.
One month later, Bridges’ daughter’s bedroom remains sealed off with plastic “to avoid any dust blowing around” and to keep the family’s pets from going in and out of the room.
Her daughter, Shayley, has to sleep downstairs in a full house that already consists of Bridges’ fiancé, her 71-year-old mother and her handicapped brother." (end of excerpt)
I find it interesting that the insurance co. won't pay as they they state: "mercury is considered a pollutant, like oil. "
Re the story in the Ellsworth American, as I previously posted, I live in the area and I am in the newspaper business...I might know a bit more than is presented?
When the lady in question first called the state for advice, they gave her the procedures as laid out in their web site. But after the story hit the press, and they were contacted, they back peddled fast and furious - who knows why, accept it seems the gov't wants to keep a low profile on "the Rest of the Story" as pertaining to what we are going to be faced with in the disposal/cleanup of these bulbs.
As for this poster who continues to insult me - do not post to me further. I have no interest in conversing with a closed mind.
NO WHERE does it state to replace the rug except by the professional clean up place she first contacted (who was glad to take her money). The Maine statutes nor federal regulations recommend or require replacing a rug. I will assume you are being dishonest because you do not appear stupid.
Not to mention, MILLIONS of people have CFLs. Why do you think this is the ONLY incident on this?
The NIOSH standard for organic mercury in the air in a workplace is 0.05 mg/m3. Back of envelope, that's about 26 times the rate at which the mercury in this story "spiked." And we can assume that NIOSH's standard has a hefty safety margin built in to it. Dogs exposed to 0.1 mg/m3 (100,000 ng/m3) for 83 weeks showed no microscopic tissue damage.
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/mercuryvapor/recognition.html
Let's not get all Rachel Carson here. Dose makes the poison, and a broken CFL probably isn't going to poison you unless you snort the contents. An industrial accident at the factory? Maybe. A butterfingers moment standing on a chair? Probably not.