An energy-saving light bulb crashed - what should I do?

Energy-saving lamps, in comparison with traditional "Ilyich bulbs" are much more economical. Despite the fact that LED lamps are driving them out of the market, they maintain their position. If only because it’s cheaper. But not everyone knows that there is mercury inside energy-saving structures, so their operation poses a known risk. If an energy-saving light bulb crashes - what should I do? We’ll talk about this.

to contents ↑

Harm from a broken lamp

As long as the product is whole, there is no danger. If, during transportation or rough handling, the integrity of the lamp is impaired, mercury vapor will enter the air. To protect yourself, you need to know what to do if an energy-saving lamp bursts, how to dispose of waste without unnecessary risk.

So, if the product crashes, there are at least 2 risks:

• Shards of glass that can be cut.
• Mercury, which is a hazard class 1 substance.

Also learn about What to do if a mercury thermometer crashes.

Important! In one product, depending on its size, contains from 3 to 5 mg of a toxic substance. This is enough to make you feel noticeably worse. With mild poisoning, dizziness, headache, and general weakness occur. If contact with mercury vapors was longer, this could lead to damage to the internal organs, central nervous system, or even death.

to contents ↑

Can lamps be thrown away?

According to statistics, more than 70 thousand lamps fail every year, however, less than half of them are disposed of in compliance with all safety measures. Unfortunately, most of the broken lamps fall into the trash with household waste, and then into the trash. And mercury, getting into the air, pollutes it, at the same time creating a threat to people and animals.

Important! Mercury is dangerous because it can accumulate in the body for a long time without declaring itself. Naturally, until the concentration reaches a critical value. The result is deplorable: damage to internal organs, the nervous system and related pathologies.

There is only one way to avoid this: throw out broken lamps only in special containers intended for mercury-containing devices.

to contents ↑

Smashed an energy-saving lamp in an apartment - what to do?

You need to act clearly and in a strictly defined order. This will provide an opportunity to protect yourself and your loved ones as much as possible.

Stage 1

Entrust the disposal of the lamp to the most accurate and conscientious person. The rest of the room has nothing to do. No need to inhale poisonous vapor. Do not interfere with advice, vanity and emotions.

Stage 2

Close the door to the room so that mercury vapor does not enter other rooms of the apartment. Open the window. By airing the room, you reduce the concentration of harmful substances in the atmosphere of the room. This minimizes the harmful effects of the poison on the body.

Stage 3

This, in fact, is the collection of fragments for further disposal:

• Do not touch fragments with bare hands! It is imperative to use protective rubber gloves.
• Waste collection preferably paper or cardboard sheets. You can use an old sponge or paper towel.In a word, you need to use items that you will not mind throwing away. Do not collect fragments with a vacuum cleaner.
• The collected waste must be placed in a sealed bag with a clasp.
• After the cleaning is finished, the place where the lamp was located should be wiped with moistened textiles. The rag also needs to be put in a bag where there are remains from the broken lamp. Dispose of the bag only in a special container for devices containing mercury.

Important! If the light bulb crashes, falling on the carpet, you need to take the carpet outside and carefully knock out the back. A cloth or oilcloth should be placed under the carpet to prevent mercury contamination of the soil. The carpet is then aired as long as possible.

to contents ↑

Demercurization Activities

This fantastic, creepy name refers to the neutralization of mercury vapor or mercury compounds. The essence of these events is cleaning the room with special tools. At home, you can use such tools.

Potassium permanganate

2 g of potassium permanganate are diluted in 1 l of water. A solution of potassium permanganate process the surface where the light bulb was. The solution is kept on the surface for about 6 hours, and then washed off with a soap solution of room temperature.

Baking soda

On a ten-liter bucket of water - 0.4 kg of baking soda and 0.4 l of chlorine-containing composition, for example, "White".

Iodine

In a liter jar of water, 100 ml of an alcoholic solution of iodine falls. This method is very effective. It is usually used for a small area of ​​pollution.

Important! Surface cleaning is carried out every day for 3-4 days. In this case, you need to work in protective rubber gloves so as not to come into contact with the infected surface.

Professional cleaning

For quality demercurization, you can also contact a specialized company that provides such services. You need to contact in such cases:

• You are not sure that you can disinfect the room well or simply do not want to do it. Companies have special substances that quickly and reliably neutralize mercury. Such work is not cheap, but you can be 100% sure of efficiency.
• To answer the question, is it possible to use items of upholstered furniture that hit a broken lamp.
• For measuring the concentration of mercury in the room after you yourself performed the demercurization with home remedies. Make sure does not hurt!

to contents ↑

How is recycling?

So, energy-saving lamps are thrown into a container specially designed for this. Then the fragments go to recycling. Glass, mercury and aluminum are sorted separately and get raw materials that are quite suitable for processing. This approach is not only economically viable, but also contributes to the fact that no harmful substances enter the environment.

A few words about recycling. In developed European countries, this issue has been worked out. In post-Soviet states, everything is not so simple. If in megacities there are special containers, then residents of small settlements have to be content with points of reception.

Important! After the room has been disinfected, you will need to choose a new lamp. The articles will help you with this:

1. Which bulbs are better LED or energy-saving.
2. Energy-saving bulbs how to choose.
3. LED lamps for home how to choose.

to contents ↑

Stock footage

But frankly, there are a lot of problems with recycling, and they are all not so simple. If you do not want too much fuss, it makes sense to switch to LED bulbs and halogen products. The quality of lighting at a height, the economy is obvious, and damaged lamps can be safely thrown into containers for household garbage.