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Fluorescent Lighting Risks - Why LED Lights Are The Better Alternative

Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) along with more traditional fluorescent lamps are being seriously marketed as environmentally friendly due to their decreased electricity usage. Indeed, renowned replacement of incandescent bulbs with CFLs will cut down electricity demand; however, there are safety issues that ultimately promote to making LED lighting the excellent choice. Discovering fluorescent lighting hazards can help guarantee that fluorescent light bulbs are utilized and discarded safely while showing why LED lighting is the most secure and most eco-friendly lighting option in the long run.

Mercury

One of the commonly cited fluorescent lighting danger is mercury. Fluorescent and also CFL bulbs carry a small amount of mercury and are identified with the basic symbol Hg. When these bulbs are chilled, some of the mercury in the lamp is in fluid form, but while the fixture is operating or when the lamp is warm, most of the mercury is in a gaseous or mist form.

Mercury vapor is absolutely toxic. Even in fluid form, exposure to mercury is regarded life-threatening or a "severe" risk to health. Even little doses of mercury may cause severe respiratory tract damage, memory damage, kidney damage, central nervous system damage, and many other serious diseases.

Disposed off poorly, mercury can contaminate infrastructures, landfills, streams, animals, fish, birds, humans, plants and streams. In the US, the EPA has mandated waste handlers to handle fluorescent lamps as hazardous waste. Up to 95 percent of the mercury found in CFLs can be recovered if the bulbs are recycled properly.

Mercury-containing lamps generated by homes and firms are not always determined by legal limitations, regarding their disposal. State laws differ and some states, such as California, Maine, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Vermont and also Massachusetts, prohibit all the mercury-containing bulbs, including CFLs, from being flushed out in the solid waste stream.

Because mercury could be released if a fluorescent lamp is broken, it is important to set up fixtures in areas where the lamps are not likely to be destroyed. Fixtures in areas close to ground level or in areas with moving equipment should use steel or plastic shields to cover the lamp from being shattered. If a fluorescent lamp breaks, there are lots of safety and cleanup problems which we will discuss in more detail in the following section.

Breakage

Fluorescent lamps develop several hazards if shattered. Based on the type, there may be a partial vacuum or the bulb may be under pressure. Cracking the glass may cause shrapnel injuries, and the release of mercury along with other harmful compounds.

The greatest immediate injury threat from a broken lamp is from the phosphor-coated glass. If cut with fluorescent lamp glass, any phosphor that enters the wound is likely to hinder blood clotting and can interfere with curing. Such injuries should be treated seriously and immediate medical help should be obtained for anyone or pets that are cut. Medical personnel must be told that the accidents were caused by a shattered fluorescent lamp, and that mercury was present.

To reduce exposure to mercury vapor, EPA and other experts advise a few precautionary measures. Children and pets should keep away from the area, and windows should be opened for at least 15 minutes to ensure that vapors may spread. Cleanup can be done manually using limited use materials. Use rubber disposable gloves and scoop up the materials using hard paper or cardboard. Use sticky tape to pick up small fragments and powder, sanitize the area with a wet paper towel, and dispose of the materials in an outside trash can. Never use a vacuum because this will only disperse the mercury steam and leave particles trapped inside the cleaner bag.