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Archive -Seychelles

Energy saving bulbs contain toxic mercury vapour |07 November 2013



After reading your article regarding energy saving bulbs published on Wednesday October 30, I want to make the following comments.

While it is always commendable to do anything, which is reducing the consumption of natural resources, and the use of energy-saving bulbs brought quite a leap in reducing electricity consumption, it needs urgently to be brought to the attention of the general public that these bulbs contain toxic mercury vapour.

This is not a problem, as long as the bulb is in use. But should such a bulb break, it is most important to avoid inhaling this vapour.

Children and pregnant women are vulnerable and they should leave a room immediately and should not enter for at least 15 to 30 minutes. The windows should be opened, and cleaning up of the broken bits and pieces should be done only after that vapour has dissipated. But especially carpets contaminated with such a broken bulb might weeks after such an incident still be harmful, especially for babies and toddlers crawling on the floor.

Such broken bulbs and bulbs at the end of their lifetime should not be discarded in the normal garbage, but there should be special collection points, which ensure disposal of that toxic waste according to international standard.

More info under: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_saving_lightbulb and http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-506347/An-energy-saving-bulb-gone--evacuate-room-now.html
 
Frank Steinmayr


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