# Mistakes were made cleaning up a broken flourescent bulb, what to do now?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 22, 2009, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279 "2009-05-22T06:37:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/1 "2009-05-22T06:37:36Z")
Mistake #1 breaking a flourescent bulb overhead while installing a light, thereby raining toxic waste down upon two people. Mistake #2 Not turning the power back on and running to the computer to research toxic waste disposal before acting. Mistake #3 Not airing out the room for 15 minutes before re-entering. Mistake #4 sweeping up said toxic waste with a broom and dustpan! Mistake #5 Walking gingerly through the area of contamination while trying to clean up.
So now that I feel we’ve contaminated the whole house, what do we do? My S.O. broke the bulb _in his hand_ while trying to install an overhead light in the kitchen. I’m almost 100% positive we both breathed in something from that broken bulb, as we were standing there underneath it to the side as it fell in pieces. What can we do as damage control and clean up? The EPA website says we did it all wrong, but it doesn’t say what to do if you did the wrong thing before reading their website! We’re avoiding the kitchen for now, but we have to deal with this in the morning.
Is there any way to rid the body of mercury once you’ve contaminated yourself?
I’m afraid to ask my doctor about this. He will laugh at me.
Is there any “home kit” that I can send for to test the house for mercury levels?
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### Author:  [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/2 "2009-05-22T06:58:53Z")
Well, first thing to do is relax. It’s a florescent bulb, and the amount of mercury contained within is tiny. You don’t need a home kit, nor do you need to detox yourself.
I’m sure a bunch of people will be around shortly to terrify you, but the facts are that any exposure you may have gotten is basically meaningless.
Sweep up the bulb remains, wipe things down with a damp cloth, and you’re good to go. People used to inject themselves with mercury, and break thermometers, and play with blobs of it, and it’s still used sometimes to treat wounds as an antibiotic ointment (though maybe not in the US).
Secondly, your body is perfectly adept at eventually ridding itself of toxins; you have entire organs devoted to this process.
Finally, you need to stop living your life in fear of chemicals and microorganisms. The risk you take every time you get into a car is orders of magnitude larger than you face from a broken bulb, but I am sure you don’t post to the dope every time you think about your daily commute. Many people who smoke their entire life will outlive you; a few micrograms of mercury will affect your lifespan less than the stress of worrying about your exposure will.
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### Author:  [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/3 "2009-05-22T07:09:46Z")
**ivn1188** ’s response, while cavalier, is not incorrect (through no merit of his own however).
[GE’s webpage](http://www.gelighting.com/na/business_lighting/faqs/fluorescent.htm#4) on fluorescent lighting has this to say:
> [@](#):
>
> 1. What should I do if I break a fluorescent bulb?
>
> Puncture resistant gloves are recommended for cleaning up broken glass. After picking up all large fragments, wipe area thoroughly to clean any remaining glass or phosphor residue. If necessary, ventilate area to remove any remaining fine phosphor dust. After handling broken lamps, wash hands and face thoroughly. _ **Incidental exposure to lamp contents is not harmful.** _ The basic phosphor used in the manufacture of fluorescent lamps is a relatively inert phosphate. _ **The small amount of mercury contained in each lamp will not cause any significant amount of airborne mercury, since most of the elemental mercury remains adhered to the phosphor surface. No adverse health effects are expected from exposure to a broken fluorescent tube.** _
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### Author:  [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/4 "2009-05-22T07:33:57Z")
We use to play with mercury when we were kids. When I was a teenager we would change out the 8’ store lights and smash them in the dumpster. If you’ve ever had a cavity it probably has mercury in it. It’s not plutonium.
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### Author:  [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/5 "2009-05-22T12:24:42Z")
The amount of mercury you’re exposed to from one broken bulb in minuscule - I’d be more afraid of cutting myself on the broken glass. Your body is quite capable of dealing with and disposing of whatever minute dose you absorbed, as mercury has _always_ been present in the environment in low levels and our waste and toxin handling organs evolved to deal with it.
Now that you know the proper means of disposal do it right next time and don’t worry about it.
Living downwind of a coal-fired power plant and eating lots of fish are both more likely to cause you to have overexposure to mercury than a single broken lightbulb, but you still breathe air and eat fish, right?
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### Author:  [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/6 "2009-05-22T13:24:54Z")
> [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](#):
>
> **ivn1188** ’s response, while cavalier, is not incorrect (through no merit of his own however).
I’m puzzled by the “through no merit of his own” part. It seems to imply some criticism of or dissatisfaction with **ivn1188** ’s answer, but I don’t see where that answer is any less helpful than what you quoted. Is there something about it you find objectionable?
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### Author:  [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/7 "2009-05-22T13:28:38Z")
As said, at this point don’t worry about it. There’s not much mercury there, and it’s not in a form that your body absorbs easily.
You don’t want to make a habit of breaking bulbs in the house (particularly if there are children around), but one bulb isn’t going to hurt anyone.
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### Author:  [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/8 "2009-05-22T14:09:44Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#):
>
> I’m puzzled by the “through no merit of his own” part. It seems to imply some criticism of or dissatisfaction with **ivn1188** ’s answer, but I don’t see where that answer is any less helpful than what you quoted. Is there something about it you find objectionable?
Mine is backed by a citation, whereas **ivn1188** ’s is backed by his own deductions. Anybody can rationalize why a broken fluorescent bulb is dangerous or innocuous. What the OP wanted was substantiated information. Do try to keep up, will you?
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### Author:  [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/9 "2009-05-22T14:49:47Z")
> [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](#):
>
> Mine is backed by a citation, whereas **ivn1188** ’s is backed by his own deductions. Anybody can rationalize why a broken fluorescent bulb is dangerous or innocuous. What the OP wanted was substantiated information. Do try to keep up, will you?
I was wondering the same thing **GaryT** was. You’re making an assumption about his/her answer being based on deductions and not based on facts that he/she knows already.
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### Author:  [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/10 "2009-05-22T14:59:09Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#):
>
> I was wondering the same thing **GaryT** was. You’re making an assumption about his/her answer being based on deductions and not based on facts that he/she knows already.
How ironic, RaftPeople, that my complaint is not based on deductions but rather facts I know already. I see **ivn1188** on a daily basis and know that he has no basis for his avowals regarding the safety of mercury from fluorescent bulbs.
FAIL!
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### Author:  [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/11 "2009-05-22T15:05:23Z")
> [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](#):
>
> I see **ivn1188** on a daily basis and know that he has no basis for his avowals regarding the safety of mercury from fluorescent bulbs.
Wow! One hell of a lucky guess, then. :dubious:
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/12 "2009-05-22T15:12:58Z")
Well, if one wanted information from someone other than a manufacturer (which may have reasons to downgrade the danger), [this page](http://www.epa.gov/hg/spills/#fluorescent) has the cleanup instructions from the EPA. And if one didn’t trust the EPA, [this Adobe PDF document](http://www.nrdc.org/energy/cfl.pdf) is from the Natural Resources Defense Council.
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### Author:  [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/13 "2009-05-22T15:13:22Z")
When I was in college, three of us broke an overhead flourescent bulb during a pillow fight in a 12’ x 12’ dorm room. Glass flew everywhere … we cleaned it all by hand and by vigorous vacuuming – all without gloves. Never even opened the windows for ventilation.
Never noticed any adverse health effects afterward. I remember washing my hands a little more carefully than normal to ensure all the white powder washed off. So … that’s one real-life anecdote supporting posts #2 and #3 in this thread.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/14 "2009-05-22T15:21:37Z")
> [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](#):
>
> I see **ivn1188** on a daily basis and know that he has no basis for his avowals regarding the safety of mercury from fluorescent bulbs.
You know this, do you? Interesting. How, exactly, is this possible? So, you’re aware of every piece of information he’s ever read or he’s somehow managed to reveal every fact he’s ever been aware of to the extent you can say with utmost confidence that he knows nothing about the safety of fluorescent bulbs. Astounding. Truly astounding.
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### Author:  [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/15 "2009-05-22T15:23:05Z")
Just an opinion … but I think it’s fairly self-evident that flourescent bulbs aren’t all that dangerous. If they were, they wouldn’t be as widely used in such an exposed fashion as they are without screaming-loud warnings. I don’t really think anyone needs to do any real research to determine that.
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### Author:  [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/16 "2009-05-22T15:28:41Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#):
>
> You know this, do you? Interesting. How, exactly, is this possible? So, you’re aware of every piece of information he’s ever read or he’s somehow managed to reveal every fact he’s ever been aware of to the extent you can say with utmost confidence that he knows nothing about the safety of fluorescent bulbs. Astounding. Truly astounding.
You’ve never had drinks with **ivn1188**. It goes a little like this.
KG: Oh, hey, how was your day?
IVN: Do you like Formula One?
KG: No, I’m not very interested in racing.
IVN: Well, you should like it, let me spend twenty minutes telling you random facts about something you’ve expressed a distinct lack of interest in…
[twenty minutes pass]
IVN: So that’s why it’s so exciting that Americans are sending two teams next year. What do you think about molecular gastronomy?
KG: Oh, Christ, this again?
and so on…
So, yes, it is quite possible that **ivn1188** has at one point or another lectured me on every single fact known to him or sentence he has ever read.
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### Author:  [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/17 "2009-05-22T15:48:25Z")
Enough of the metadiscourse, please. Let’s all get back to the facts, and take the discussion of who knows how much someone else knows elsewhere.
No warnings issued.
**Gfactor**
General Questions Moderator
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### Author:  [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/18 "2009-05-22T16:21:02Z")
It’s worth noting that the newer tubes with green end caps (Such as Philips’ ALTO tubes) have so little mercury in them that many locations do not consider them as hazardous waste.
The local hardware store doesn’t even want to accept them for recycling - they say to just put them in the trash. If that’s good enouugh for California, (The home of Ohmygoditstoxicwaste!) it should be good enough for everyone else.
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### Author:  [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/19 "2009-05-22T17:02:13Z")
I’ve been thinking about posting a similar GQ, since I found a broken bulb that had been sitting in its box for months.
I bought a box of 4 compact (swirly-shaped) fluorescents bulbs, used 3 soon afterwards, then set the 4th aside until a hard-to-reach older lightbulb on the top floor landing blew out over a year later. The bulb in the box had broken sometime during that year–I have no idea when. As far as I know, no liquid mercury got out of the little cardboard box. But I’ve been worried about vapors around the house since then, in carpets and the ventilation ducts and so on. The AC had been on during that time, and the furnace too, and I’d vaccuumed the carpet in the vicinity of the broken-bulb box who-knows how many times. All things the EPA cleanup pages say you shouldn’t do.
So, I take it from the comments above that there wasn’t much danger of toxic mercury exposure to begin with, and shouldn’t be any now? I’ve had the windows open as often as the weather allows since. Can someone put it in tuna-sandwich terms for me? (I mean, am I in more/less danger from eating a tuna sandwich than for whatever mercury vapors might still be lingering at this point?) Thanks.
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### Author:  [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)
#### Post date: [May 22, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-were-made-cleaning-up-a-broken-flourescent-bulb-what-to-do-now/497279/20 "2009-05-22T17:35:16Z")
It was the EPA webpage that got me worried, actually, especially the bit about putting any clean up materials into a glass jar or plastic bag. We also put the bulb into the garbage bin without putting it into a plastic bag. Stupid, I know, but we were not thinking straight. Now I don’t know if we should tell the waste disposal pickup about it.
What form does the mercury in flourescent lamps take?
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