How freaked put should I be? Broken CF bulb and I

[Jayne J]

completely botched the cleanup. We were in the middle of school and I was not all there. DD knocked over a lamp and I absent mindedly vacuumed it up and threw away the pieces in a bag in the outside can. Two hours later, I had a panic attack when I realized what I'd done. I've turned off the heat and opened up every window in the house and put fans in to vent, I've used duct tape all over the wood floor where it broke and sealed that into a glass jar and tossed it outside. I wrapped and trashed the vacuum bag and am running the vacuum outside.

I am not usually like this, but I am shaking with fear. I feel stupid. I am not sure what kind of threat this situation actually represents and the internet is just pushing my blood pressure higher. Am I justified? Should I do something more? Or am I overreacting?

[DianeW88]

Don't worry about it. These lightbulbs contain 1/100th of what is in a mercury thermometer.

 

Those of us who grew up in the 60s, 70s and before probably can't count how many mercury thermometers our parents broke. And then let us play with the mercury. It balls up and is really fun. :lol: We all lived. The exposure to that small amount of mercury is insignificant. Someone just doesn't want to get sued.

[Jennifer in MI]

I did that and freaked out too! I was shaking and everything. I was just sure I'd ruined my kids' IQs or something!

 

My mom reminded me that she used to PLAY with mercury with her bare hands. Honestly, it seems like you've done all you can. Maybe not ideal, but I bet you're fine!

[Parrothead]

The EPA's website about cleaning up after a CFL break.

 

What if I can't follow all the recommended steps? or I cleaned up a CFL but didn't do it properly?

 

Don't be alarmed; these steps are only precautions that reflect best practices for cleaning up a broken CFL. Keep in mind that CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury -- less than 1/100th of the amount in a mercury thermometer.

However, if you are concerned about the risk to your health from a potential exposure to mercury, consult your physician.

 

[JMDRAD]

That's exactly how I cleaned up our broken bulb the other day. Never occurred to me till now that it was an issue. (I remember my mom telling me about how she used to play with mercury when she was little.)

[Tigger]

The EPA's website about cleaning up after a CFL break.

 

Occupational Safety and Health Guideline for Mercury Vapor

 

Posting the above because I think it's interesting how two different agencies see the substance - the mercury vapor.

[jenL]

I remember breaking a mercury thermometer when I was little and how exciting the mercury was as it rolled around on the floor. I'm still alive and well! Pregnancy killed my brain cells; I was fine before that! ;)

[Tigger]

From: Mercury: Cleanup for Broken CFLs; Environmental Health Perspectives Journal

 

In the hour immediately after each breakage, the team recorded mercury gas concentrations near the bulb shards between 200–800 μg/m3. For comparison, the average 8-hour occupational exposure limit allowed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is 100 μg/m.

 

 

From Science Daily:Mercury Vapor Released from Broken Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs Can Exceed Safe Exposure Levels for Humans, Study Finds

 

Once broken, a compact fluorescent light bulb continuously releases mercury vapor into the air for weeks to months, and the total amount can exceed safe human exposure levels in a poorly ventilated room, according to study results reported in Environmental Engineering Science, a peer-reviewed online only journal published monthly by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

Edited December 6, 2011 by Tigger

[Cindy in FL.]

I'd like to make you feel better by telling you how I came just short of donning a hazmat suit when I broke a regular flourescent bulb in my bathroom. How I threw away the vacuum filter, my clothes, my shoes, etc. But, I'd be too embarrassed.

 

Cindy

[ThisIsTheDay]

Now it's apparently an environmental hazard. Forty years ago, it was not a big deal.

 

If you have a changeable vacuum cleaner bag, I'd change it. I wouldn't freak out about it.

[Jayne J]

Thank you all (except you Tigger--i'm still trying to understand if your posts were supposed to be reassuring or not. I am in no state to be wading through scientific/bureaucratic speak! LOL! This is said firmly tongue in cheek.) I am feeling a bit better, but darn it all I hate this. :glare: Give me incandescents any day of the week over this!!!

[LAS in LA]

200–800 μg/m3. 100 μg/m.

 

Is this comparison helpful? micrograms/m3 compared to micrograms/m

[Jayne J]

Um. No. Please pretend you are explaining it to my 8yo ds. Or better yet, his sister, 6yo. They are both in micrograms? Is m3 different than m? I can't figure out if 200-800 whatevers (M3???) is more or less than 100 of the other. :blushing::blushing::blushing: Blame it on the effects of stress on the brain, please.

[Tigger]

Thank you all (except you Tigger--i'm still trying to understand if your posts were supposed to be reassuring or not. I am in no state to be wading through scientific/bureaucratic speak! LOL! This is said firmly tongue in cheek.) I am feeling a bit better, but darn it all I hate this. :glare: Give me incandescents any day of the week over this!!!

 

I'm sorry if my posts are worrisome - I'm actually surprised others here are as nonchalant about it as they are.

 

A few years ago, the state of Maine revised their guidelines regarding clean-up of a CFL breaking in a home due to the results of their own studies - their study found that the mercury vapors remain for days and weeks following a break and clean-up, especially in a room with carpet. In study, it was found that upon breakage of a CFL, mercury vapors can rise "with short excursions over 25,000 ng/m3, sometimes over 50,000 ng/m3, and possibly over 100,000 ng/m3 from the breakage of a single compact fluorescent lamp." In other words, the study found breaking a single bulb can send mercury vapor levels in a room to over 50 times the level that California considers dangerous and to over 300 times what the EPA has established as a safe level for prolonged exposure. Honestly, I don't think that's something to pooh-pooh....its important to know about....and Maine has gone so far as to recommend removal of carpeting or area rugs on which a CFL breaks and to consider bulbs other than CFL's in rooms with carpeting that children will play in (or on the carpet), or that pregnant woman will be in frequently.

[Jackie in AR]

Don't worry about it. These lightbulbs contain 1/100th of what is in a mercury thermometer.

 

Those of us who grew up in the 60s, 70s and before probably can't count how many mercury thermometers our parents broke. And then let us play with the mercury. It balls up and is really fun. :lol: We all lived. The exposure to that small amount of mercury is insignificant. Someone just doesn't want to get sued.

 

:iagree: I *loved* it when our thermometer broke.

[Mary in VA]

Don't worry about it. These lightbulbs contain 1/100th of what is in a mercury thermometer.

 

Those of us who grew up in the 60s, 70s and before probably can't count how many mercury thermometers our parents broke. And then let us play with the mercury. It balls up and is really fun. :lol: We all lived. The exposure to that small amount of mercury is insignificant. Someone just doesn't want to get sued.

 

:iagree:My mother broke a thermometer and collected the mercury in an envelope to show me how it balled up. And if I recall right she let me take it to school for show and tell!

 

Mary

[PinkInTheBlue]

I'm sorry if my posts are worrisome - I'm actually surprised others here are as nonchalant about it as they are.

 

A few years ago, the state of Maine revised their guidelines regarding clean-up of a CFL breaking in a home due to the results of their own studies - their study found that the mercury vapors remain for days and weeks following a break and clean-up, especially in a room with carpet. In study, it was found that upon breakage of a CFL, mercury vapors can rise "with short excursions over 25,000 ng/m3, sometimes over 50,000 ng/m3, and possibly over 100,000 ng/m3 from the breakage of a single compact fluorescent lamp." In other words, the study found breaking a single bulb can send mercury vapor levels in a room to over 50 times the level that California considers dangerous and to over 300 times what the EPA has established as a safe level for prolonged exposure. Honestly, I don't think that's something to pooh-pooh....its important to know about....and Maine has gone so far as to recommend removal of carpeting or area rugs on which a CFL breaks and to consider bulbs other than CFL's in rooms with carpeting that children will play in (or on the carpet), or that pregnant woman will be in frequently.

 

And someone explain to me again why we all are being forced to change to these? Speak slowly and simply because, apparently, I'm not getting it. :)

[PinkInTheBlue]

Right! I hate those stupid bulbs. The light is so weird. And now I'm being informed I'll drop dead if I break one. Geesh.

 

Looks like I need to convert a room of my house into light bulb storage and just buy all I will need for the rest of my life. ;) Then I can never move again, I guess. Yuck. All for stupid light bulbs! lol

[nd293]

I remember playing with mercury! Have made it to 40 with health and intellect intact, so I assume you should be fine.

[Parker Martin]

This is not comparable to playing with mercury in one's hand. The problem here is breathing it in.

 

I would leave the house for a while while it ventilated.

[Jayne J]

I vented all the windows in all the rooms with fans for about 2 hours earlier. I am not sure if additional venting would do any good?? Seems like the air in the house should have been completely replaced several times already.

[Bluegoat]

Looks like I need to convert a room of my house into light bulb storage and just buy all I will need for the rest of my life. ;) Then I can never move again, I guess. Yuck. All for stupid light bulbs! lol

 

I heard a guy interviewed on the radio once who actually did that!

[melmichigan]

And someone explain to me again why we all are being forced to change to these? Speak slowly and simply because, apparently, I'm not getting it. :)

 

:iagree:I understand the need to save energy but dang, I think we've broken three of these in the last year, now they suggest you replace the carpet? :confused:

[LaxMom]

Looks like I need to convert a room of my house into light bulb storage and just buy all I will need for the rest of my life. ;) Then I can never move again, I guess. Yuck. All for stupid light bulbs! lol

 

We've actually been converting (one at a time, as they burn out) the incandescent and CFL bulbs to LED. The bulbs themselves sometimes look odd (not the mini spots in our kitchen, but lamp bulbs) but the light is FABULOUS!

 

(And my electric bill goes down and down and down...)

 

I just can't muster concern over CFLs, though. If you have carpet (or upholstered furniture) you're living in all sorts of not-delightful off-gassing. If you're anywhere near any industrial anything, there are likely all sorts of undesirable compounds being spewed into the air. My house is old and drafty. I am not worried about anything lingering in the air long.

Edited December 7, 2011 by MyCrazyHouse

[PinkInTheBlue]

:iagree:I understand the need to save energy but dang, I think we've broken three of these in the last year, now they suggest you replace the carpet? :confused:

 

I understand the desire to save energy but at the cost to our personal environment and landfills I DO NOT think these bulbs are the solution. I think they are a BAD idea. I will not have them in my house. :(

[Guest]

Don't worry about it. These lightbulbs contain 1/100th of what is in a mercury thermometer.

 

Those of us who grew up in the 60s, 70s and before probably can't count how many mercury thermometers our parents broke. And then let us play with the mercury. It balls up and is really fun. :lol: We all lived. The exposure to that small amount of mercury is insignificant. Someone just doesn't want to get sued.

 

My dh and his brother have said that before - that they played with mercury when they were kids.

 

OTOH, that could be the problem...;) :lol:

[Tigger]

I understand the desire to save energy but at the cost to our personal environment and landfills I DO NOT think these bulbs are the solution. I think they are a BAD idea. I will not have them in my house. :(

 

We don't have them in our house either. Last year DH did replace some bulbs downstairs with CFL's and when I realized it, I had him go through and remove them. We're looking at LED options, but I actually have a lot of incandescent bulbs to get through before I'll need to buy something else.

[Jayne J]

In my panicky research I found this:

 

"But, just how dangerous is a broken bulb? Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory set out to answer that question. They compared how much exposure you'd get from breathing in the amount of mercury released from a broken CFL bulb to how much mercury you'd take in from eating Albacore tuna.

 

If you do a common sense job of cleaning up (open the windows, clean up, and remove the debris), then your mercury exposure would be the equivalent of taking a tiny nibble of tuna, according to Francis Rubinstein, a staff scientist at Berkeley Lab. What if you did the worst job possible, say closed all the doors and smashed the bulb with a hammer? It's still no big deal, says Rubinstein, who points out that it would be the equivalent of eating one can of tuna. [Yahoo! News, 5/7/09]"

 

I am do not know the scientist Francis Rubenstein, nor do I know much about the Lab itself, its funding, backing, etc. But if anyone else was worried due to my post I thought I'd share. Much of what I have been reading seems to indicate that the bulb pieces in many studies were left in situ and not removed from the area, and no clean up of any kind was attempted. Even doing it wrong is better than not doing it at all. I learned my lesson, but I am allowing myself to breath again.

[caedmyn]

In my panicky research I found this:

 

"But, just how dangerous is a broken bulb? Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory set out to answer that question. They compared how much exposure you'd get from breathing in the amount of mercury released from a broken CFL bulb to how much mercury you'd take in from eating Albacore tuna.

 

If you do a common sense job of cleaning up (open the windows, clean up, and remove the debris), then your mercury exposure would be the equivalent of taking a tiny nibble of tuna, according to Francis Rubinstein, a staff scientist at Berkeley Lab. What if you did the worst job possible, say closed all the doors and smashed the bulb with a hammer? It's still no big deal, says Rubinstein, who points out that it would be the equivalent of eating one can of tuna. [Yahoo! News, 5/7/09]"

 

I am do not know the scientist Francis Rubenstein, nor do I know much about the Lab itself, its funding, backing, etc. But if anyone else was worried due to my post I thought I'd share. Much of what I have been reading seems to indicate that the bulb pieces in many studies were left in situ and not removed from the area, and no clean up of any kind was attempted. Even doing it wrong is better than not doing it at all. I learned my lesson, but I am allowing myself to breath again.

 

I could be wrong, but I don't think that's an apples to apples comparison. Ingesting something vs. breathing it in can have totally different effects.

[Jayne J]

I could be wrong, but I don't think that's an apples to apples comparison. Ingesting something vs. breathing it in can have totally different effects.

 

:iagree: Which is why I have kept reading. From what I understand, the mercury fish (methyl mercury) is more dangerous to unborn and developing children and difficult or impossible to get rid of. Elemental mercury (the kind from a cfl) is still dangerous, but less so. It dissipates from a well ventilated room after the bulb itself and the shards have been cleaned, which is why all the proper cleaning procedures have you open the windows for 15-30 minutes. Here is where I got the information, for those interested.