Between 2012 and 2014, the incandescent light bulbs given us by Mr. Edison will be phased out in favor of the newer CFL (compact florescent light) bulbs. It is believed the CFLs use up to 70% less energy than incandescents, resulting in huge energy savings for all of us.
So, what's the catch? Sounds like a wonderful thing, right?
Well, these CFLs contain just a tiny bit of mercury (some say about the same amount of mercury as you'll find in a can of tuna fish—which we CONSUME). This takes us to the Environmental Protection Agency web site, where we find (very) detailed instructions on how to clean up after a broken CFL bulb—and you know we'll break a few. You can find the 3-pages of detailed instructions at http://www.epa.gov/cfl/cflcleanup.pdf but to save time, I'll present the EPA brief "overview" of the proper clean-up procedure:
CLEANUP AND DISPOSAL OVERVIEW
The most important steps to reduce exposure to mercury vapor from a broken bulb are:
1. Before cleanup
a. Have people and pets leave the room.
b. Air out the room for 5-10 minutes by opening a window or door to the outdoor environment.
c. Shut off the central forced air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.
d. Collect materials needed to clean up broken bulb.
2. During cleanup
a. Be thorough in collecting broken glass and visible powder.
b. Place cleanup materials in a sealable container.
3. After cleanup
a. 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.
b. If practical, continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the heating/air conditioning system shut off for several hours
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| At least we don't need to store a haz-mat suit in our homes! |
Psst, in case you're wondering:
There are many types of incandescent bulbs that are exempt from this law:
--any kind of specialty light (ie. bulb in refrigerator)
--reflector bulbs
--3-way bulbs
--candelabras
--globes
--shatter resistant
--vibration service
--rough service
--colored bulbs (i.e. "party bulbs")
--bug lights
--plant lights
--any kind of specialty light (ie. bulb in refrigerator)
--reflector bulbs
--3-way bulbs
--candelabras
--globes
--shatter resistant
--vibration service
--rough service
--colored bulbs (i.e. "party bulbs")
--bug lights
--plant lights
Finally, the law applies to the SALE of bulbs, not the USE of your existing stock of bulbs.
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