So I broke a flourescent light bulb

[eflat]

i'm not to keen on chemistry.

is the mercury in those bulbs a vapor form? or did any possible mercury poisoning only occur when and if i touched the bulb?

i know that stuff (mercury) is horribly toxic and although i know i have no reason to worry, i am curious how dangerous it is to break a flourescent light bulb and how one should go about cleaning it up.

 

[InverseOfNeo]

dude go the hospital stat!!! you came in contact with less than one mL of mercury!!!

 

[MoPHo]

could be worse. coulda stabbed yourself w/ a thermometer.

on the lighterside, it isn't really that dangerous if you clean it up. better to get rid of it now then leave it there any longer. just try and wear a facemask and goggles or something to be safe.

 

[mdchesne]

i remember shining pennies with mercury. was fun. nothign toxic unless you ingest it or boil it (why you'd do that, i dunno, but some kid probally ruined it for the rest of us)

 

[Rubycon]

Nothing to worry about here.

 

[dighn]

it's not that toxic. the amount in light bulbs should be negligible. just air out the area b/c the vapor is the most toxic IIRC

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: MoPHo
could be worse. coulda stabbed yourself w/ a thermometer.

on the lighterside, it isn't really that dangerous if you clean it up. better to get rid of it now then leave it there any longer. just try and wear a facemask and goggles or something to be safe.

Thermometers made in the last oh, 30 years don't use mercury. And I'm not even sure how much (if any) there is in fluorescent light bulbs. Are they mercury vapour arcs?

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: mdchesne
i remember shining pennies with mercury. was fun. nothign toxic unless you ingest it or boil it (why you'd do that, i dunno, but some kid probally ruined it for the rest of us)

i thought mercury was absorbed by the skin on contact?

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: silverpig

Originally posted by: MoPHo
could be worse. coulda stabbed yourself w/ a thermometer.

on the lighterside, it isn't really that dangerous if you clean it up. better to get rid of it now then leave it there any longer. just try and wear a facemask and goggles or something to be safe.

Thermometers made in the last oh, 30 years don't use mercury. And I'm not even sure how much (if any) there is in fluorescent light bulbs. Are they mercury vapour arcs?

Yes, although there is newer technology that uses significantly less mercury.

Anyway, a single broken bulb is not any concern at all.

 

[Eli]

You can actually see the bead of mercury in some bulbs when they first come on(before they get too bright to discern anything).

 

[mdchesne]

Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Originally posted by: mdchesne
i remember shining pennies with mercury. was fun. nothign toxic unless you ingest it or boil it (why you'd do that, i dunno, but some kid probally ruined it for the rest of us)

i thought mercury was absorbed by the skin on contact?

don't think so. only the vapors are harmful as I recal. it's a liquid metal and the lipid bilayer of your cells won't let metals pass though the protein channels unless they're in some form of vitamin or acid (A, C, Folic)

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: mdchesne

Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Originally posted by: mdchesne
i remember shining pennies with mercury. was fun. nothign toxic unless you ingest it or boil it (why you'd do that, i dunno, but some kid probally ruined it for the rest of us)

i thought mercury was absorbed by the skin on contact?

don't think so. only the vapors are harmful as I recal. it's a liquid metal and the lipid bilayer of your cells won't let metals pass though the protein channels unless they're in some form of vitamin or acid (A, C, Folic)

incredibly interesting...

 

[mdchesne]

Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Originally posted by: mdchesne

Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Originally posted by: mdchesne
i remember shining pennies with mercury. was fun. nothign toxic unless you ingest it or boil it (why you'd do that, i dunno, but some kid probally ruined it for the rest of us)

i thought mercury was absorbed by the skin on contact?

don't think so. only the vapors are harmful as I recal. it's a liquid metal and the lipid bilayer of your cells won't let metals pass though the protein channels unless they're in some form of vitamin or acid (A, C, Folic)

incredibly interesting...

found proof:
http://www.medical-library.net/thinking_persons_guide/ex_tpg_amalgam.html

Remember, mercury enters the body through inhalation. It is not necessary to touch the stuff. People who should be concerned about mercury intoxication, aside from those with dental amalgams in their mouths, are dentists, dental assistants, dental office personnel anyone who has been around the use of amalgam; people living in the vicinity of mercury mines even if those mines have been closed for years; people living around volcanoes active or dormant. I recommend that people in all these categories be tested for mercury.

(do a search in this article for "touch"

 

[mchammer]

Yes it is the vapors that are harmful. Try to collect any that you can find, there are websites that have cleanup directions. Do not use a vacuum. The vapors are what are harmful, especially in a small area, so open the windows up and air out the area. Close any doors that lead to other areas of the house and do not let children or pets into the area.

 

[eflat]

Originally posted by: mchammer
Yes it is the vapors that are harmful. Try to collect any that you can find, there are websites that have cleanup directions. Do not use a vacuum. The vapors are what are harmful, especially in a small area, so open the windows up and air out the area. Close any doors that lead to other areas of the house and do not let children or pets into the area.

hmm yeah i'll try real hard to collect all those vapors

 

[Rubycon]

Many thermometers made today still use mercury.

The red/blue/green ones don't.

If the bulb is silver, it's Hg.

 

[eflat]

Originally posted by: mchammer
Yes it is the vapors that are harmful. Try to collect any that you can find, there are websites that have cleanup directions. Do not use a vacuum. The vapors are what are harmful, especially in a small area, so open the windows up and air out the area. Close any doors that lead to other areas of the house and do not let children or pets into the area.

ha. it's a small apartment and i was about to have about 50 people over for my birthday party. i vaccumed it up in a hurry and left the windows closed because we didn't want our neighbors to hear all the noise we were making.

great timing, eh?

frankly with all the information i have read about mercury i think the substance should be classified as being dangerous as hell and not be available to consumers.

it should be available only for commercial uses and require very strict and stringent rules for disposal and clean up (like the situation we had)

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: CitizenDoug

Originally posted by: mchammer
Yes it is the vapors that are harmful. Try to collect any that you can find, there are websites that have cleanup directions. Do not use a vacuum. The vapors are what are harmful, especially in a small area, so open the windows up and air out the area. Close any doors that lead to other areas of the house and do not let children or pets into the area.

ha. it's a small apartment and i was about to have about 50 people over for my birthday party. i vaccumed it up in a hurry and left the windows closed because we didn't want our neighbors to hear all the noise we were making.

great timing, eh?

frankly with all the information i have read about mercury i think the substance should be classified as being dangerous as hell and not be available to consumers.

it should be available only for commercial uses and require very strict and stringent rules for disposal and clean up (like the situation we had)

It is/does.....

But the ammount in a single fluorescent bulb is miniscule.. certainly not enough to call HazMat over.