Elevated airborne levels of mercury could exist in the vicinity of recently broken bulbs, and under certain conditions, mercury concentrations could exceed occupational exposure limits. Waste management systems that minimize breakage before final disposal could reduce this total, as would the reduction of mercury content of bulbs. A 23-month-old boy was diagnosed with acrodynia approximately 5 months after a carton of 8-ft fluorescent bulbs was broken in a potting shed adjacent to his nursery. However, if you are concerned about your health after cleaning up a broken CFL, consult your local poison control center by calling 1-80. Based on the estimated release rate of 3-8 mg per broken bulb developed in this study, discarded bulbs release approximately 2-4 tons of mercury per year in the United States. Elemental mercury poisoning chapters in five toxicology textbooks were reviewed for information on sources of. Keep in mind that CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury - less than 1/100th of the amount in a mercury thermometer. Approximately 620 million fluorescent bulbs are discarded annually in the United States, and many are broken during disposal. A typical discarded bulb releases between 3 and 8 mg of elemental mercury vapor over two weeks. Many bulbs contain more mercury than the low-mercury bulbs tested. One-third of the mercury release occurs during the first 8 hr after breakage. With the assumption that all mercury released is elemental vapor, it was found that between 17 and 40% of the mercury in broken low-mercury fluorescent bulbs is released to the air during a two-week period immediately following breakage, with higher temperatures contributing to higher release rates. A new method was developed for measuring mercury released from broken bulbs. When a CFL breaks in your home, one of the most important things you can do is. Estimates of the amount of this mercury released when the bulbs are discarded and broken have varied widely. Although the primary human exposure is from ingestion of fish contaminated with methyl mercury (HgCH3), exposures to elemental mercury vapor and mercury compounds via inhalation and dermal contact may also occur. You can also find traces of mercury in neon lighting, sodium-based bulbs and most blacklights. The most common light bulbs that contain mercury that are still in use are mainly Compact Fluorescent bulbs (CFL), Fluorescent tubes and mercury vapour bulbs. Mercury is a persistent, bioaccumulative toxin. At some point, you may have heard that certain light bulbs contain traces of mercury.
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