by Colin McEwen
Record-Courier Reporter
Compact fluorescent light bulbs are popular, eco-friendly, can save consumers as much as $30 in electricity costs per bulb and last about 10 times longer than regular bulbs.
However, they can be dangerous if they are not handled or disposed of properly.
The bulbs contain small but significant amounts of mercury, making it dangerous if they break or make it to the water supply.
Bill Steiner, director of Portage County Solid Waste Management said the Portage County agency is the only one in the state to have hired a household hazardous waste specialist to deal with this specific problem.
He said within 30 days, the facility will be equipped with a recycling program for the bulbs. Steiner said CFL bulbs have the potential to contaminate soil if they are not disposed of properly.
Also, the bulbs can break on their way to the landfill, exposing workers to the neurotoxin.
"You can't have mercury potentially compromising the lining of a landfill and getting into an underground aquifer," he said.
"People throw them in the glass recycling containers. We'd rather dispose of them properly."
Portage County Health Commissioner DuWayne Porter said the bulbs are completely harmless unless they are broken. He said if a bulb breaks, people should be "extremely careful."
Mercury is an irreplaceable element in the bulbs and each contains 5 milligrams. In comparison, a typical home thermometer used in years past contains about 500 milligrams.
TO PUT THAT in perspective, each bulb contains the size amount equivalent to the size of a ball-point pen.
"There is a threat -- a small threat, but something that needs to be looked at," he said. "Five milligrams isn't going to be a problem. It's the continued exposure."
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, small amounts of mercury can cause a host of health problems -- especially for children -- including tremors, changes in vision or hearing, insomnia, weakness, difficulty with memory, headache, irritability, shyness and nervousness.
In large amounts, mercury can adversely affect the nervous system and the developing fetus.
Porter said the mercury in the bulbs is a powder form, making it easily dispersed once the bulb is broken. He said if this happens, residents should follow the stringent guidelines from the Environmental Protection Agency.
If a bulb is broken consumers are encouraged to open all windows and leave the room for 15 minutes, turn off forced air, then carefully collect glass fragments and mercury powder with a piece of loose cardboard.
Glass should be placed in a glass jar with metal lid, and duct tape should be used to pick up remaining glass fragments. Brooms and vacuums are not recommended until after the entire process has been completed.
"Fluorescent bulbs are becoming more and more popular," said Porter. "We don't want to wait to take care of this problem. We want to take care of the problem now."
Even though the bulbs are considered "hazardous waste," Porter noted disposal is not regulated by the state.
While the nation's largest retailer, Wal-Mart, has committed to a campaign to sell 100 million bulbs this year, it has not yet committed to a permanent plan to recycle them.
AURORA-BASED TCP, which bills itself as the world's largest manufacturer of the energy-efficient bulbs, labels its packaging, advocating the need to recycle. The firm produces 1.4 million bulbs each day.
Jeremy Salamon, production manager at TCP, said CFLs uses 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs, and last six times longer.
"If every American swapped just one bulb for a CFL, it would collectively save more than $8 billion in energy costs, prevent 30 billion pounds of coal from being used and remove 2 million cars worth of greenhouse gas emissions from our atmosphere," he said.
Salomon said even though TCP produces bulbs with less mercury than the national average, the firm still encourages people to recycle.
Consumers of TCP's bulbs are encouraged to call 1-800-CLEANUP to find residential recycling programs.
The General Electric Lamp Plant in Ravenna also produces CFLs, but could not be reached for comment.
Steiner said Portage County Solid Waste Management is setting up a dropoff center at its 3588 Mogadore Road in Brimfield location to accommodate the increased usage of the bulbs.
Once the bulbs are transported to a recycling center, the mercury is removed and the materials recycled.
Porter said awareness about the dangers of mercury has increased in recent years, and hopes that people continue to use caution when handling the substance.
"People over the age of 35 can remember playing with mercury as children," he said. "Those days are gone; we know better now."
E-mail: cmcewen@recordpub.com
Telephone: 330-296-9657