July 7th, 2011

Compact fluorescent lights release mercury vapor when broken

A broken light bulb could prove seriously hazardous to your health – and not just from stepping on jagged glass.

A new study indicates that when a compact fluorescent bulb is broken, mercury is released in a vapor. And the bulb will continue to release vapor for more than 10 weeks. According to the authors of the study, the levels of mercury emitted by the bulbs can actually exceed the amount considered safe for people.

The research [PDF] was published in the journal Environmental Engineering Science.

Read more.

19 notes·
mercury
toxic
chemicals
news
  1. golden-desperado reblogged this from centerforinvestigativereporting and added:
    I didn’t know this
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  4. jocelynstone reblogged this from centerforinvestigativereporting and added:
    Definitely something
  5. cwj reblogged this from centerforinvestigativereporting and added:
    Good thing we came up with...safe alternative...those nasty...
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