First EPA News Brief Summary: “WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today updated its guidance on how to properly clean up a broken compact fluorescent lamp (CFL). Included with the guidance is a new consumer brochure with CFL recycling and cleanup tips…CFLs contain a small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing. When a CFL breaks, some of the mercury is released as vapor and may pose potential health risks. The guidance and brochure will provide simple, user friendly directions to help prevent and reduce exposure to people from mercury pollution…“

In switching from incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent light bulbs and CFLs our elected officials opened the door to a massive mercury pollution problem across the United States threatening landfills and drinking water supplies. Our elected officials have been derelict in making this information available to the public and providing the necessary hazardous waste sites available for their recycling and disposal in every local community . And there should have been a massive public education campaign to inform the public about these hazards. It is too late for the fluorescent and CFL bulbs that have already been tossed into dumpsters and landfills. We now can change this process through education and laws regarding the hazardous material disposal of these bulbs.

According to the EPA the following list of light bulbs contain mercury:

• Other fluorescent bulbs, including linear, U-tube and circline fluorescent tubes, bug zappers, tanning bulbs, black lights, germicidal bulbs, high output bulbs, and cold-cathode fluorescent bulbs;

• High intensity discharge bulbs, which include metal halide, ceramic metal halide, high pressure sodium, and mercury vapor;

• Mercury short-arc bulbs; and

• Neon bulbs.

It should be noted that several studies have concluded the following with regard to cleanup by Vacuuming. The State of Maine Study Report February 2008:

“…The study does not support recommending vacuuming as a cleanup option. Vacuuming is problematic because it tends to mix mercury concentrations in the room, promoting higher concentrations in the five foot breathing zone. In addition, the vacuum may become contaminated. Although using a wet wipe on some vacuum surfaces helped to lower residual mercury, expensive testing equipment was needed to evaluate cleanup effectiveness. Also some parts of the vacuum, such as the inside of the hose, are not as easy to wipe. The vacuum bag, when there is one, would need to be treated as universal waste if contaminated with mercury. It does appear that cheaper electric brooms or motorized sweepers are easier to decontaminate than more expensive vacuums with power heads and metal parts. It is not clear from this study what the exposure and hazards may be from handling a mercury-contaminated vacuum. Further study of vacuum decontamination procedures and exposure hazards would be useful…”

The EPA makes the following recommendations for cleanup and disposal of CFLs on their website: [8] Recycling and Disposal After a CFL Burns Out: “…EPA recommends that consumers take advantage of available local options for recycling CFLs, other fluorescent bulbs and all household hazardous wastes rather than disposing of them in regular household trash…”

• Recycling prevents the release of mercury into the environment. CFLs and other fluorescent bulbs often break when thrown into a dumpster, trash can or compactor, or when they end up in a landfill or incinerator. Learn more about CFLs and mercury.

• Other materials in the bulbs get reused. Recycling CFLs and other fluorescent bulbs allows the reuse of the glass, metals and other materials that make up fluorescent lights. Virtually all components of a fluorescent bulb can be recycled.

• Your area may require recycling. Some states and local jurisdictions have more stringent regulations than U.S. EPA does, and may require that you recycle CFLs and other mercury-containing light bulbs. California, Maine , New Hampshire, Minnesota, Vermont and Massachusetts, for example, all prohibit mercury-containing lamps from being discarded into landfills. Contact your local waste collection agency, which can tell you if such requirement exists in your state or locality.

• Starting in mid-2011, packaging for CFLs, LED bulbs and traditional incandescent bulbs will include new labels designed to help consumers select the most efficient bulbs that best fit their lighting needs. Both the packaging and the bulbs themselves will include disclosures if the bulbs contain mercury.

It is also important to note that the quality controls on many fluorescents and CFLs are limited due to the fact that many of these products are manufactured in other countries like China [29]. Thus, where U.S. companies like General Electric were held to strict manufacturing standards, foreign countries that manufacture and import these products to the U.S. are not held to these same manufacturing and consumer protection standards.

The Second EPA News Brief Summary:

“WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released guidance recommending that schools take steps to reduce potential exposures to PCBs from older fluorescent lighting fixtures. The guidance, part of EPA’s ongoing efforts to address potential PCB exposures in schools, is based on evidence that the older ballasts contain PCBs that can leak when the ballasts fail, leading to elevated levels of PCBs in the air of schools that should not represent an immediate threat but could pose health concerns if they persist over time…”

“…Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, are man-made chemicals that persist in the environment and were widely used in construction materials and electrical products prior to 1978. PCBs can affect the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system and endocrine system and are potentially cancer causing if they build up in the body over long periods of time…“

“…As we continue to learn more about the potential risks of PCBs in older buildings, EPA will work closely with schools and local officials to ensure the safety of students and teachers,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Steve Owens. “This guidance on safely addressing the risks from PCB-containing light fixtures is part of EPA’s ongoing efforts to protect the health of our children and provide them with safe, healthy learning environments…”

“…Until the late 1970s, PCBs were commonly used as insulators in electrical equipment because they have a high tolerance for heat, do not easily burn, and are non-explosive. EPA banned the processing and distribution in commerce of PCBs in 1979 pursuant to the Toxic Substances Control Act due to their toxic effects. However, uses of older PCB-containing ballasts were allowed to continue, provided that the ballasts had not failed and the PCBs were not leaking…”

“…EPA believes many schools built in the U.S. before 1979 have light ballasts containing PCBs. A recent pilot study of three schools in New York City found that many light ballasts in the schools contained PCBs and had also failed, causing the PCBs to leak and contributing to increased levels in the air that school children breathe. EPA regional offices have also worked with school officials to address leaking PCBs in light ballasts in schools in Oregon, North Dakota, and Massachusetts…”

“…Given their widespread use before they were banned, if a school was built before 1979 or has not had a complete lighting retrofit since 1979, the fluorescent light ballasts probably contain PCBs.

Although intact, functioning ballasts do not pose a health threat, these lighting ballasts will all fail in time. For that reason, EPA recommends older PCB-containing lighting ballasts should be removed, whether as part of a previously scheduled lighting retrofit program or a stand-alone project. Schools that have older ballasts should examine them to see if they have failed or if PCB leaks are present. If a light ballast is leaking PCBs, federal law requires the immediate removal and disposal of the PCB-containing ballasts and disposal of any PCB-contaminated materials at an EPA approved facility…”

“…To prevent exposure if leaking ballasts are discovered, school personnel should wear protective clothing, including chemically resistant gloves, boots, and disposable overalls while surveying the ballasts. Replacement of leaking ballasts should be performed in a well-ventilated area, or supplemental ventilation or respiratory protection should be provided to reduce the potential for breathing in fumes…”

“…EPA has also developed information on how to properly handle and dispose of PCB-containing fluorescent light ballasts and properly retrofit lighting fixtures to remove potential PCB hazards.

In September 2009, EPA issued guidance to communities about potential PCB contamination in the caulk of pre-1978 buildings. EPA also announced additional research into the potential for PCBs in caulk to get into the air. Research on that and other issues related to PCB exposures is ongoing…”

“…School districts, building owners and others desiring technical guidance should contact EPA at 1-888-835-5372. Parents who are concerned their children may be attending a school with PCB-containing ballasts should ask their schools whether they have a plan to address PCBs in their schools…”

You can go the EPA website or links below and find more information about incandescent light bulbs, or other information on PCBs, fluorescent light bulbs, and CFLs. It is important that we all protect our children, our environment, and our drinking water from these toxic chemicals and their respective health effects.

Written by Rosalind Patterson, and originally published in NewsWithViews.com, January 29, 2011. The author is President of the Agriculture Defense Coalition, Post Office Box 499, Redwood Valley, California 95470, (phone): 707-485-7520. She may be reached by email at: [email protected]

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