I bug him about writing the next editorial for Home Energy, and he procrastinates until the last minute. Both of these readings are well above the EPA RfC for chronic exposure to elemental mercury of 300 ng/m3. • When handling fluorescent bulbs on carpeted surfaces, put a drop cloth down to prevent contamination if a bulb breaks. Click here to read more articles about Lighting, www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/homeowner/cflreport.htm. I feel he didn't clean it up and he's saying nnercury is only an element, vacuum the area again and again, then rent a carpet cleaner from the hardware store and shampoo the carpets if your concerned (you'd be surprised at all the dirt it shall get out, i know if u contaminate a room with mercury u can not live there anymore and u can not clean it with average means - it gets absorbed immediately and emanates toxic fumes, vacuum the area again and again, then rent a carpet cleaner from the hardware store and shampoo the carpets if your concerned (you'd be surprised at all the dirt it will get out. You are perfectly safe with what you husband has done. This is important information for consumers, because there are currently CFLs available that contain as little as 1 mg of mercury. EPA states that the risk from exposure to elemental mercury is related primarily to the risk of inhaling mercury vapor. It is safe to clean up a broken CFL bulb if you are trained to do so. www.ewg.org/files/EWGguide_lightbulb.pdf. Even with all this, the one-hour average air concentration of mercury was 21,262 ng/m3 at 1 foot above the floor and 16,814 ng/m3 at 5 feet above the floor, well below the OSHA PEL of 100,000 ng/m3. Choosing fluorescent lighting means purchasing and using lights that contain a small amount of elemental mercury. But this is not the case. Sense, Vance shows how to safely clean up a broken CFL bulb. Dust weekly with a long-handle duster, such as a Swiffer, that traps dust and cobwebs. perhaps you have missed teh fact that hubby picked up the larger pieces, and then vacuumed the rest.. no need to use paper towel.. long has the area is vacuumed thourghly thats all what needed. 7. The 1-foot height represents the breathing zone of a crawling infant. The FDA warns "women who might become pregnant, women who are pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children" to eat no more than 6 oz of albacore tuna per week, because it typically contains high levels of methylmercury. But this may be the relevant paragraph. o Put on protective gloves like those used in laboratories. The broken pieces were removed in a sealed container from the room, but the floor was not vacuumed, according to the existing Maine DEP guidelines for cleanup of broken CFLs. For these, the OSHA PEL is 100,000 nag/m3. Do not use a vacuum or broom … Guidance: Cleaning Up Broken Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) The following guidance provides instructions for cleaning up a broken compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL). Get your answers by asking now. All fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, including CFLs. Therefore, there is no guidance for homeowners on what constitutes short-term, relatively high exposure risk. Average concentrations shown in Table 1 are nowhere near this threshold. You can limit contamination by gathering up the large pieces of the broken bulb into a bag and set the bag outside. Clean up of a broken bulb: o Leave the area for at least 30 minutes before returning to attempt a cleanup. While we will do our best to monitor all comments and blog posts for accuracy and relevancy, Home Energy is not responsible for content posted by our readers or third parties. Those pieces were not removed from the room, but were placed in a trash can located within the room. Collect materials needed to clean up broken bulb: stiff paper or cardboard; sticky tape; damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes (for hard surfaces); and. They’re gaining in popularity because they are up to 75 percent more energy efficient than incandescent light bulbs and last 10 times longer. Why it might be a 'mistake' to file your 2020 taxes now, Emotional moment during Trump impeachment speech, NFL player helps raise $350K for girl injured in Reid crash, Geraldo Rivera insists Trump is 'guilty as charged', Claudia Conway set to appear on 'American Idol', CDC pleads with Americans to 'avoid travel', Grandfather sentenced in child's cruise ship death, Eli Lilly chief quits due to 'inappropriate' relationship, Mahomes will have surgery for turf toe injury, A few vaccine recipients get rare blood disorder, 'QAnon Shaman': I'm 'deeply disappointed' in Trump. The readings were averaged to obtain a mercury air concentration over a one-hour period. Never use a vacuum -- even on a rug -- to clean up a compact fluorescent light. Even though mercury from the broken CFL is not likely to be dangerous, it would be wise to take extra precautions to minimize mercury exposures. room within a short period of time for a CFL break. Cleaning up a broken CFL by vacuuming up the smaller debris particles in an un-vented room can elevate mercury concentrations over the MAAG in the room and it can linger at these levels for hours. This is EPA's best estimate, based on current research and risk assessment calculations, of exposure to mercury in the air that does not impose a significant risk to human health over the subject's lifetime.