Question from TR
Last night my daughter knocked over a lamp and broke one of those new light bulbs. I vaguely remembered something about mercury and looked it up on the Internet and know I am scared to death. Do you know anything about this? I am wondering if once it has been cleaned up, if the mercury is gone as well as the danger? I couldn’t find any information about “the after effects”.
I am also wondering if this contaminated everything in the room? It broke by my bed. Is it safe for me to sleep in there?
Here’s a fact sheet about mercury: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts46.html
Also, read the first part of this about elemental mercury: http://www.calpoison.org/public/mercury.html. It talks about symptoms immediately after exposure. I think the danger is immediate, because it dissipates fairly quickly.
Yesterday the San Francisco Chronicle had a great article about CFL’s: San Francisco Chronicle: Confusion about fluorescent lighting. It points out a lot of the problems and offers some solutions. Near the end, under “If a CFL breaks” there are more detailed instructions about clean-up procedures.
Personally, I don’t use them. I use halogens.
Debra’s Answer
Here’s what I could find.
From Environmental Defense Fund:
It seems that the mercury is in the form of vapor, which will disperse. So once it has been cleaned up, it appears to be safe. Ventilation helps. I don’t think it has contaminated everything in the room.
