Your government, in it's infinite wisdom, has decided that begining in 2012 traditional incadescent light-bulbs will be illegal and are to be replaced by the newer "green" lightbulbs.
Once we have to switch over to these, pray to GOD you never break one. Below are the recommended steps to cleaning up after a new "green" lightbulb break.
Because CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, EPA recommends the following clean-up and disposal guidelines:
1. Before Clean-up: Air Out the Room
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Have people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
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Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
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Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.
2. Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces
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Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
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Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass pieces and powder.
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Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.
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Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.
3. Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug:
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Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
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Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
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If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
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Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.
4. Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding, etc.:
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If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. Do not wash such clothing or bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.
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You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
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If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.
5. Disposal of Clean-up Materials
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Immediately place all clean-up materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash pickup.
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Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
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Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states do not allow such trash disposal. Instead, they require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a local recycling center.
6. Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rug: Air Out the Room During and After Vacuuming
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The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window before vacuuming.
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Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.
Sounds much "Greener" doesn't it?
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4 comments:
Don't worry, I have stocked a lifetime supply of regular lightbulbs to make sure I don't even have to look at one of those as long as I live.
Besides, what the ban is going to create is a black market for them. People will be smugling them in from Mexico by the truckload like they do drugs today. I guess that the "Orwellian" bulb police will have to go house to house to see who's "breaking" the ban.
Let There Be (Incandescent) Light
[From the Washington Post, By David Henderson, Friday, October 2, 2009]
What would Thomas Edison say?
Last month, stores in Europe stopped acquiring new stocks of Edison's brilliant invention. In truth, the traditional incandescent light bulb is terribly inefficient: Only about 10 percent of its energy output is in the form of visible light; the rest is emitted as heat. Switching everyone to alternatives such as compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) will result in fairly significant reductions in energy consumption, which will help Europe meet its targets for reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.
A similar ban, written into energy legislation a few years ago, is to take effect in the United States in 2012. Though it has distinct improvements over the European legislation, this ban is still a bad idea.
While the European Union outlawed a particular technology, Congress set minimum efficiency requirements for lighting. Old-fashioned (regular) incandescent bulbs do not meet this standard, but by 2012 there may very well be some improved incandescents on the market that will.
That this change is manifest in our daily lives makes it a meaningful and encouraging option, but it should be just that: a voluntary option. Light bulbs are a poor choice for regulation. Is there an overriding reason to regulate how Americans light their homes?
It's true that compact fluorescent lights are widely appreciated among those with heightened "green" sensibilities. They are a welcome option for those who are trying to reduce their environmental impact. Replacing bulbs may be a small measure, but it is also something that can be done by people who may feel powerless or frustrated before the larger problems besetting our planet.
But many people also have a decided dislike of CFLs and will greatly resent the ban. While they may last longer than incandescent bulbs, the upfront cost is high; the light produced is not as bright as that of incandescent bulbs; they are slow to achieve full brightness; the bulbs don't fit in many old lamps; they can't be dimmed; and their lifespan is greatly shortened by using them for less than 15 minutes at a time. The manufacturers of compact fluorescent lights have made improvements on some of these issues, but their reputation is not yet vindicated.
The environmental benefits of using only compact fluorescent bulbs are indirect -- and less than what could be realized by changing standards governing, for example, coal use. Consider: The benefit of "reducing inefficiency" depends on where the energy is coming from. Improving efficiency without eliminating a harmful source may just free energy that is then used elsewhere. If there is no net reduction in energy use, where is the benefit? Direct regulation of harmful activities, such as putting firm limits on carbon emissions, is more likely to achieve the desired environmental result. (And this would only indirectly influence my bedroom decor.) A great deal of the wasted energy in lighting comes from excessive nighttime lighting in public spaces, which is an excellent issue for government to address. Banning traditional light bulbs as used in private homes seems an effort in the name of environmental protection that has very little payoff.
There is more political will behind environmental reform than is generally appreciated, but it is not unlimited. We should invest our political capital where it will be most effective, not burn it in compact fluorescents. Congress should regulate matters that require the force of law, such as banning mountaintop removal in coal mining and new coal-burning power plants. Leave people to change their own light bulbs.
- By David Henderson
Friday, October 2, 2009
[The writer teaches environmental ethics in the philosophy and religion department at Western Carolina University.]
-- Found this here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/01/AR2009100104254.html?hpid=smartliving
"Green" lightbulbs are so dangerous because of their contects, that they could literally be used as handgranades.
Just toss them at a group of people and it will have basically the same effect.
Oh no! There goes Tokyo!
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