Fluorescent Lighting Risks - Why Led Bulbs Are Indeed The Better Choice

Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) as well as more traditional fluorescent lamps are

aggressively marketed as environmentally friendly due to their reduced electricity utilization. Indeed, renowned replacement of incandescent bulbs with CFLs will cut down electricity demand; however, there are issues of safety that ultimately promote to making LED lighting the premium quality choice. Knowing fluorescent lighting risks can help ensure that fluorescent light bulbs are utilized and disposed of safely while showing why LED lighting is the most secure and most eco-friendly lighting alternative in the long run.

Mercury

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

Mercury mist is absolutely poisonous. Even in liquid form, contact with mercury is believed life-threatening or a "severe" risk to health. Even little doses of mercury can cause severe respiratory system damage, mind damage, renal damage, central nervous system damage, and many other serious medical conditions.

Disposed off in the wrong way, mercury can contaminate buildings, landfills, rivers, animals, fish, birds, humans, crops and lakes. In the US, the EPA has required waste handlers to treat 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 houses and small businesses are not always according to legal restrictions, regarding their disposal. State laws differ and some states, like California, Maine, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Vermont as well as Massachusetts, prohibit all mercury-containing lamps, including CFLs, from being discarded in the solid waste river.

Because mercury will be released if a fluorescent lamp is broken, it is important to set up fixtures in locations the lamps are not likely to be destroyed. Fixtures in areas close to your soil or in locations with moving machine should use alloy or plastic shields to guard the lamp from being broken. If a fluorescent lamp breaks, there are numerous safety and cleanup troubles which we will discuss in a more thorough way in the following portion.

Breakage

Fluorescent lamps produce several hazards if damaged. Determined by the type, there is a partial vacuum or the lamp may be under pressure. Cracking the glass could cause shrapnel injuries, as well as the release of mercury along with other unhealthy compounds.

The largest immediate injury danger from a shattered lamp is from the phosphor-coated glass. If cut with fluorescent lamp glass, any phosphor that gets into the wound is likely to stop blood clotting and can interfere with curing. Such mishaps should be dealt with seriously and immediate medical attention should be obtained for anyone or house animals that are cut. Medical personnel ought to be notified that the accidents were caused by a damaged fluorescent lamp, and that mercury was present.

To minimize exposure to mercury steam, EPA and other specialists advise a few precautionary measures. Children and pets should keep away from the area, and windows must be opened for at least 15 minutes in order that vapors may spread. Scrubbing can be done by hand using throw-aways materials. Use rubber throw away gloves and scoop up the materials using stiff paper or cardboard. Apply sticky tape to pick up small fragments and powder, wipe the area with a saturated paper towel, and wipe out the materials in an outside trash bin. Never use a vacuum since this will only disperse the mercury vapor and leave particles buried in the cleaner bag.

by: John Reid

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