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Mercury in Compact Flourescent Ligtbulbs...but not much.

By Don McCoy

Real Estate Agent with John L. Scott Real Estate

February 08, 2008 03:30 PM

CFL's contain a very small amount of mercury in the tubing which is about 5 milligrams. This is reported to cover the tip of a ball point pen. A regular thermometer contains about 500 milligrams which means it would take about 100 broken CFL light bulbs to equal the older thermometer.

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Michael I. Pulskamp

Mainstreet Brokers - Jackson, CA

REALTOR, EcoBroker, GREEN Desingnee

Don, You make an important point. We need to let people know that the tiny bit of mercury in these lamps is not the huge threat that it sounds like. Especially with the energy and cost savings, not to mention the easy to find recycling programs popping up all over (check you local hardware store).

Feb 09, 2008 03:19 AM

Mary McGraw

GLREA - Rockford, MI

2015: Solar Energy Is Still A Simple Machine!

Hi Don - good information and great link for people. There is a tendency for people to over react and you provide facts. Lake Michigan has much more mercury than what can be found in a CFL and gets added to daily :)

Feb 10, 2008 11:00 PM

Stephanie Edwards-Musa

thredUP.com - The Woodlands, TX

knitwit at thred UP

Hi Don, I didn't know that little tid bit about the thermometer. Very interesting, Thanks!

Feb 12, 2008 12:42 PM

Terry Haugen STAGE it RIGHT! 321-956-2495

Stage it Right! - Melbourne, FL

Don, as a kid we would play with the mercury from a broken thermometer. I'm still here to comment on your blog :-) Not that it isn't dangerous, its that people blow things way out of proportion. CFL's vs. incandescent bulbs are way more environmentally friendly! In fact, after replacing all my bulbs I'm saving 150 kwh per month in electricity.

Feb 12, 2008 01:36 PM

Don McCoy

John L. Scott Real Estate - Medford, OR

Southern Oregon EcoBroker for John L. Scott R E

Hey Terry..we did the same thing. My wife went CFL hunting and replaced nearly all lights in the house. We like them better...the way they glow and warm up softly. I agree folks get things blown way out of proportion at times. My dad used mercury in mining and I played with it as well. I used to carry 75 lb flasks of it around as we used it to absorb gold from ore. I didn't go the way of the Mad Hatters.

Feb 12, 2008 03:16 PM

Bill Westel

Eco-Steward Realty - Asheville, NC

ECO

Don, Thanks for the info about mercury and CFL's. While the mercury in CFl's is a small amount comparatively speaking, I still would careful when cleaning up a broken bulb, especially if there are children in the house. Mercury poisoning usually occurs after prolonged exposure to the substance for adults, but can happen faster with children. More on mercury poisoning here for anyone interested.

I think there will be a concerted effort in the future to recycle CFL's when they are at the end of their lifetime which wont be for many years. But we will have to think carefully about how they are disposed of. Our local fire department is the recycling center for them here in Asheville.

Feb 12, 2008 11:38 PM