Exploding Energy Saving Lamp and Mercury?

Question

Help!! One of those energy saving lamps has just exploded in my room, and nobody knows what to do.

Answer 1

Read this:

What is the best way to clean up a mercury spill?

Mercury spills, although usually small in volume, present some unique problems for complete and proper cleanup. Health Care Without Harm recommends the following procedure:

* Ventilate the area. Do not use a vacuum. Assemble the following materials: gloves, an eyedropper, two stiff pieces of cardboard, two plastic bags, a large tray, duct tape, a flashlight and a wide mouth container.

* Do not touch the mercury. Remove all jewelry from your hands as mercury will bond with the metal. Wear rubber gloves. Use the flashlight to locate the mercury. The light will reflect off the mercury beads and make them easier to find.

* On a hard or tightly woven fabric floor use the stiff paper to push beads of mercury together. Use the eyedropper to suction the beads of mercury, or working over the tray to catch any spills, lift the beads of mercury with the stiff paper. Carefully place the mercury in a wide mouth container. Pick up any remaining beads of mercury with sticky tape and place contaminated tape in a plastic bag along with the eyedropper, stiff paper and gloves. Place this bag into the other plastic bag. Label the bag as hazardous waste.

* On a carpet or rug, the mercury contaminated section should be cut out and disposed of as hazardous waste.

* Once recovered, the mercury should be accumulated in a labeled container and stored in a secure area, perhaps with other hazardous wastes generated by the facility.

* After the mercury has been recovered, the spill area should be washed with a dilute calcium sulfide or nitric acid solution.

* Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) needs to be worn. Consult a Material Safety Data Sheet for the mercury-containing chemical and cleaning solution to identify the specific items necessary.

Note: Spilled mercury will release vapors and continue to do so over time. Remember, material used in spill clean up activities that is contaminated with mercury is a hazardous waste and must be managed as such. Some vendors imply that their spill kit materials may be discarded in the regular trash after use, but to do this allows the mercury to enter the environment. Maine's Hazardous Waste Management Rules prohibit this method of disposal.

Answer 2

You need to get a HAZMAT (Hazardous Material) team to clean up the breakage. Yes, it will cost about $2,000 to clean up, but you need to because you don't want your children to breathe in mercury vapors.

For me, it wasn't worth it. I'm sticking to incandescents.

Answer 3

DO NOT CALL THE EPA!!! THEY WILL CHARGE YOU 2000 dollars to clean it up..i don't know how you should, but do not call them, they will force you to have a haz-mat team come into your home,...it happens all the time.