1. 

   Wannabee wrote about 1 year ago

   Is it true that CFL's contain Mercury and that if you breakone you have to leave your house or risk Mercury poisoning?

2. 

   SharpSharp replied about 1 year ago

   There is no need to worry about one broken CFL, the amount of mercury exposure would be very insignificant. Now if you were to break them on a regular basis to gain long term regular exposure you'd go as mad as a matter!

   We've had fluorescent lights for decades and no one has been worried about mercury exposure. Then again I have a very clear memory of a broken thermometer in my childhood and using straws to blow the beads of mercury around the table. The only warning I got from my mum was to make sure to blow and not suck, good advice, but I don't remember following it as diligently as I should!

3. 

   Wannabee replied about 1 year ago

   Thanks for that! It appears I may have been somewhat a bit more worried about this than I needed to be. It also turns out that if any of them burn out all I need to do is go to the local Wal-Mart to recycle then...

   Is it me or is Wal-Mart getting their hands into everything these days?

4. 

   SharpSharp replied about 1 year ago

   Ironically I smashed a CFL last week, so I hope that my advice is correct!

5. ms_tux replied about 1 year ago

   they ("they") recommend that you don't use CFLs in kid's rooms just to be on the safe side. However, my BF broke one before, and he did not die or feel ill afterwards. The most damage it did was the broken glass scratching his hand.

6. Layla replied about 1 year ago

   Well, I'm a bit weary about the mercury in CFLs too..
   Of course any damage would be long-term, not immediate.. & influence nervous system or such.. it is a very small quantity, but accumulative... so it might only be of concern if you also have had exposure to mercury elsewhere - eg a lot of amalgam fillings, or had some removed (a lot of mercury may enter your body if the dentist doesn't know what he's doing..) or eating a loot of tuna or other stuff contaminated with mercury..
   My Dad broke one too, & didn't seem to have any (immediate) consequences.. (?)
   I would say a proper disposal would be in order (seal in a plastic bag, I think - there's info online how to dispose of it properly..)
   I have no CFLs in my room (just a conventional & a LED), my eyes are a bit sensitive to the light from the CFLs too..

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