Compact fluorescent lights, or CFL's, are touted as an environmentally-responsible product that uses an average of one quarter the electricity gobbled up by a traditional incandescent light bulb. CFL's also last significantly longer than incandescents, an average of 6,000 to 15,000 hours versus the 750 to 1,000 hours of a traditional bulb. Although CFL's are generally more expensive than their older counterparts, they more than make up the cost difference with the energy savings and longevity. .
CFL's, however, contain a hidden danger. Just like all other fluorescent lights, CFL's use a small amount of mercury vapor in the tubes in order to produce fluorescent light. Not only is there a potential long term risk of disposing these light bulbs in landfill sites but there is also a more immediate concern about personal safety if a CFL breaks accidentally. How safe is it to be around that much mercury?.
The average amount of mercury in a CFL is 4.0 mg per bulb. According to a recent study by Brown University and the Maine Department of Environmental Resources, this amount exceeds the Environmental Protection Agency safety standards. Although a single dose of inhaling this mercury vapor due to a broken CFL is unlikely to cause health issues, proper handling of spent and broken CFL's is important to reduce the effects of repeated exposure to mercury. .
Spent CFL's should be double-bagged and taken to a recycling facility. In the United States, Home Depot has recently announced its CFL recycling initiative, becoming the first major CFL recycling depot in the country. .
Broken CFL's pose a more prickly problem. Because the amount of mercury vapor released by a CFL exceeds the EPA standards, care must be taken in the clean up process. Unfortunately, most manufacturers of CFL's do not print warnings or instructions for breakage on their packages. .
According to the EPA, the first step in a CFL breakage cleanup is evacuating and airing out the room.
