Laserfiche WebLink
Handle with Care: <br />Be careful when handling and transporting fluorescent bulbs to avoid breakage <br />and exposure to mercury. <br />• Storing: To avoid breaking bulbs, store them in their original packaging <br />somewhere inaccessible to children. <br />• Transporting: When transporting fluorescent bulbs to the recycling <br />facilities, repack them in their original packaging or wrap them in <br />newspaper or bubble wrap and place in a box or bag to prevent breakage. <br />Carry these items in the trunk of your car, if possible. Make sure there are <br />no heavy items in the trunk that can shift and break the bulbs. As an <br />added precaution, put each bulb in a sealed plastic bag. <br />• It is safe to throw out regular incandescent light bulbs and halogen bulbs <br />since they do not contain mercury. <br />Frequently Asked Questions: <br />• Fluorescent bulbs have mercury in them; why should I use them? <br />Fluorescent bulbs are safe to use. No mercury is released when they are <br />in use. Simply be careful when removing or replacing a fluorescent bulb. <br />By saving energy, fluorescent bulbs prevent more mercury being released <br />into the air by power plants. A typical power plant emits 1 Omg of mercury <br />to produce the electricity needed to run an incandescent light bulb, <br />compares to only 2.4 mg of mercury needed to run a compact fluorescent <br />bulb. <br />• What should I do if I break a fluorescent bulb? <br />Because of the mercury in florescent bulbs, breaking a fluorescent bulb is <br />not like breaking an incandescent bulb. If you break a fluorescent bulb, <br />keep all people and pets out of the room. Open the windows and ventilate <br />the room for fifteen minutes before cleaning up. Put on rubber gloves and <br />carefully pick up any broken pieces, glass shards, or powder with sticky <br />tape. After all visible pieces have been picked up vacuum the area. Place <br />all the pieces and used clean up material, including the vacuum bad, in a <br />plastic bag and seal it. Call your local HHW facility for disposal <br />instructions. Be sure to wash your hands after clean up. If you break two <br />or more fluorescent bulbs, or if you are unsure what to do, call the <br />Minnesota Duty Officer any time. <br />• How is mercury harmful? <br />Mercury can damage human health because it is toxic to the nervous <br />system - the brain and spinal cord - particularly the developing nervous <br />system of a fetus or young child. <br />Recycling Association of Minnesota <br />852 B East Lake Street <br />Wayzata, Minnesota 55391 <br />Office: 952-473-0048 Website: recycleminnesota.org <br />