In The News: Mercury in Fluorescent Bulbs

Not unlike their pole-shaped counterparts, compact fluorescent blubs also contain mercury and should be treated with the same precautions.

Noteworthy points from the Toronto Star article:

• If a compact fluorescent bulb breaks, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency advises householders to immediately air out the room to let mercury vapour escape. The broken glass should be swept up, not vacuumed, and then placed in a sealed bag.
• Manitoba Hydro advises householders to wipe the area where the bulb broke with a damp paper towel, and to dispose of the towel with the shards of glass.Most bulbs will burn out eventually without breaking.
• Both Toronto Hydro and Ontario's energy ministry have the same advice: Store the burned-out bulbs in a safe place, and dispose of them when there's a community hazardous-waste collection.
• In Toronto, there's generally one Environment Day per year in each ward, when local residents can bring hazardous waste to be safely disposed of.During the rest of the year, the city's six solid-waste drop-off depots will take hazardous waste. Information is available at 416-338-2010.
  

Read the Toronto Star article.

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