Dear Concerned in Clyde,

I received this message from one of my wonderful readers recently and I giggled a little to myself at the format that she chose.

Dear Abbie, I mean, The Green Wife,

I, like yourself, am trying to be greener. Over the past year, I have amassed quit a collection of those energy efficient light bulbs that are sold everywhere now. I feel good about them because I’ve been told they’re a small, easy step to take if you’re beginning to try to live greener. However, I have become concerned because they are not lasting as long as I had been promised and they cannot be thrown into the trash. According to the packaging and the bulb itself, I am instructed to dispose of the bulbs at an approved recycling facility as they contain mercury. What? Mercury?

I have four children and they can be wild at times so the last thing I want to worry about is a bulb getting shattered and depositing small, mercury coated shards of glass all over the place. In fact, that very thing happened yesterday. I was hosting friends for coffee when a little boy, who was jumping on my daughter’s bed, took a swing at her ceiling fan with a hanger and the bulb shattered. I didn’t even find out about the incident until later in the day when I found pieces of glass in my daughter’s bed and on her floor.

Is the mercury in light bulbs something I should be concerned about? Are they just not for everyone? Please shed some “light” on this subject.

Sincerely,

Concerned in Clyde

So to her, I say..

Dear Concerned in Clyde,

Thank you for writing me with your concerns with your CFL bulbs.  I did a little sniffing around the internet to see what I could find out.

Why do they contain mercury? Because it’s the single element that can create such an energy efficient light bulb.
Isn’t that dangerous? Mercury is toxic to humans.  However, the amount of mercury in a bulb is very, very minimal (5mg as opposed to 500mg or so in a handheld thermometer)  and is safely contained within the bulb to prevent exposure…..which brings us to the issue of your broken bulb.
What if a CFL bulb breaks in my home? Not to panic.  I’ll share the information I found on EnergyStar.gov:

1. Before Clean-up: Ventilate the Room

• Have people and pets leave the room, and don’t let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
• Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
• Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.

2. Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces

• Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
• Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the glass jar or plastic bag.
• Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

3. Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug:

• Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
• If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
• Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.

4. Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding, etc.:

• If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be discarded.  Do not wash such clothing or bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.
• You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, such as the clothing you happened to be wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
• If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes.  Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.

5. Disposal of Clean-up Materials

• Immediately place all cleanup materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash pickup.
• Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
• Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area.  Some states prohibit such trash disposal and require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a local recycling center.

6. Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rug: Ventilate the Room During and After Vacuuming

• The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window prior to vacuuming.
• Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.

Why are my bulbs not lasting as long as promised? I’m sorry that I don’t know.  I looked at different manufacturer sites and found little to no information.  I think that’s something you’ll have to address with their customer service representatives….and I wish you luck.

Are CFL bulbs for everyone? I think that they are a wonderful way for every home to cut back on energy usage, but based on history of breakage they should probably be used in sockets that are protected by a globe or shade that would make accidents less likely to happen.

I hope that your children are safe from mercury exposure as well as broken glass!  Thank you again for writing me with your questions.

Sincerely,

Abbie, I mean, The Green Wife