CFL bulbs and mercury: do you know the risks?
All right everybody, raise your hands if you knew that low-energy light bulbs (often called CFLs or compact fluorescent lamps) contain mercury, a dangerous poison. No lying. That's what I thought. The use of CFLs has taken off recently as a result of their energy-saving properties and curly-fry cuteness, and sales will likely skyrocket after the passage of an energy bill currently before Congress banning traditional energy-intensive bulbs. In light of this new-found popularity, an article on BBC News makes the point that most people don't realize the bulbs require special handling when broken or burnt out. As a result, in the UK the British Environment Authority is recommending that more information be made available to CFL users about the risks associated with the bulbs, and ways to recycle them safely.
Now there's no need to get all excited and get the Haz-Mat suit on before changing the bulb in your reading lamp - a typical CFL bulb contains less 8 mg of mercury (in the US, a 25 watt CFL is capped at 5 mg), not enough to pose much of a health risk. However, breakages should still be handled with rubber gloves, especially in the unlikely event that several bulbs break at the same time. A greater danger comes from the possibility of millions of these things being thrown into landfills, where the toxic mercury could leech into the water table with all kinds of nasty consequences. In the US, the relative novelty of CFLs means that knowledge about proper disposal is limited, and because CFLs last for 5-6 years, most of the bulbs purchased are still in use. However, given their growing popularity, in a few years we could see hundreds of millions of them requiring disposal, so a public education program and possibly warning labels wouldn't be a bad idea. In the meantime, there are options; for example, Ikea has a take-back program if you buy your bulbs there. For info on other disposal option in your area, try environmental site Earth911 - just type CFL into the "find a recyling center" field,enter your zip code, and press GO.
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