Mercury Cleanup Guide

If a compact fluorescent lamp breaks in your home, do you know what to do? Read this before it happens and be prepared. 

Image from: http://www.test4mercury.com/BrokenCFL.htm

U.S. EPA Cleanup and Disposal Guide

Quoting U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Cleaning Up a Broken CFL Quick Guide:

The most important steps to reduce exposure to mercury vapor from a broken bulb are:

1. Before cleanup

a. Have people and pets leave the room.

b. Air out the room for 5‐10 minutes by opening a window or door to the outdoor
environment.

c. Shut off the central forced air heating/air‐conditioning  system, if you have one.

d. Collect materials needed to clean up broken bulb:

• stiff paper or cardboard

• sticky tape

• damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes (for hard surfaces)

• a glass jar with a metal lid or a sealable plastic bag

2. During cleanup

a. DO NOT VACUUM.  Vacuuming is not recommended unless broken glass remains after all other cleanup steps have been taken. Vacuuming could spread mercury‐containing powder or mercury vapor.

b. Be thorough in collecting broken glass and visible powder.

c. Place cleanup materials in a sealable container.

3. After cleanup

a. Promptly place all bulb debris and cleanup materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area until materials can be disposed of. Avoid leaving any bulb fragments or cleanup materials indoors.

b. Next, check with your local government about disposal requirements in your area, because some localities require fluorescent bulbs (broken or unbroken) be taken to a local recycling center. If there is no such requirement in your area, you can dispose of the materials with your household trash.

c. Continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the heating/air conditioning system shut off for several hours.

Actions You Can Take to Prevent Broken Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

• Fluorescent bulbs are made of glass and can break if dropped or roughly handled.  To avoid breaking a bulb, follow these general practices:

• Always switch off and allow a working CFL bulb to cool before handling.

• Always handle CFL bulbs carefully to avoid breakage.

• If possible, screw/unscrew the CFL by holding the plastic or ceramic base, not the glass tubing.
• Gently screw in the CFL until snug.  Do not over‐tighten.
• Never forcefully twist the glass tubing.

• Consider not using CFLs in lamps that can be easily knocked over, in unprotected light fixtures, or in lamps that are incompatible with the spiral or folded shape of many CFLs.

• Do not use CFL bulbs in locations where they can easily be broken, such as play spaces.

• Use CFL bulbs that have a glass or plastic cover over the spiral or folded glass tube, if available. These types of bulbs look more like incandescent bulbs and may be more durable if dropped.

• Consider using a drop cloth (e.g., plastic sheet or beach towel) when changing a fluorescent light bulb in case a breakage should occur.  The drop cloth will help prevent mercury contamination of nearby surfaces and can be bundled with the bulb debris for disposal.

See also U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Detailed Instructions

And an even more precise 11 step clean-up guide with advice on what to wear and what not to wear when cleaning up: Managing Small Mercury Spills 

Ideally, you should already have a Spill Kit if you have CFLs or mercury thermometers at home, e.g. one like this: Chemical Mercury Spill Kit (google for other variations, or combine your own from separate parts if you can't afford the ready-made kit).

Please be advised that Maine Department of Environmental Protection found, after doing test cleanups of on broken CFLs, that a plastic jar was NOT enough to keep mercury vapour from escaping; only a hermetically sealed glass jar will keep it in!

They also found that contaminated carpets need to be discarded (safely) as there was no way of getting them clean. Vacuuming them only contaminated the vacuum cleaner/hoover.

After the results of their study, the Maine DEP issued a Revised Cleanup Guidance

Cleanup instruction video from The Doctors show: