| Author |
Message |
    
Jackie Day
Citizen
Username: Zoesky1
Post Number: 110
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, September 14, 2003 - 11:55 pm: | 
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Dopey question, but one that bears asking: How does one dispose of dead 4-foot long fluorescent light bulbs? I know these things are incredibly fragile and, if broken, splinter into a zillion tiny shards of glass, so regular garbage is out. But does the Maplewood recycling center take them? If not, what do I do with them? Thanks in advance. |
tourne
Citizen
Username: Tourne
Post Number: 192
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 15, 2003 - 10:48 pm: |
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Look for hazardous waste collection days. The tubes contain mercury which is released when broken. |
jgberkeley
Supporter
Username: Jgberkeley
Post Number: 3132
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 8:57 am: |
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Tourne,
That is a mith. In the 70's-80's those tubes contained mercury.
Not since. In today's world they could not sell the things if that were still true.
Jackie,
To dispose, Pour a large glass of wine. Set it on the table.
Take the tubes and place them in a large plastic bag, place bag in the trash can, close eyes and smack bag with brick.
Go the wine and sip as needed.
You are done. |
peteglider
Citizen
Username: Peteglider
Post Number: 231
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 9:03 am: |
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i agree with jgb. just one thing to add - "double bag" -- use 2 trash bags -- then the broken glass is less likely to open the trash bag.
oh -- i find a baseball bat works pretty well, too to smash with ;-) wine, beer, or scotch optional
Pete |
Matt
Citizen
Username: Mattybd
Post Number: 4
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 10:43 am: |
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This sounds like fun, anyone throwing a tube bashing party? While there I will be sure to ask someone for guidance on how to install them in the first place, I just can't seem to get mine to click into place! I am sure my kitchen would be much brighter with all 4 working instead of 2. |
tourne
Citizen
Username: Tourne
Post Number: 193
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 11:59 am: |
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FALSE INFORMATION abounds on this web site. As far as I know, most fluorescent lamps contain mercury TODAY! See www.p2pays.org/mercury/lights.htm for accurate info and take this as a lesson to beware of the "experts" on this board. Call Essex County or the Maplewood DPW for info on the next hazardous waste collection day. |
peteglider
Citizen
Username: Peteglider
Post Number: 232
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 1:14 pm: |
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hmmm...I *thought* that mercury was eliminated from flourescent tubes a few years back.
I recall living at my other house, pre-SO, and the prices on those tubes increased dramatically - and recall the reason being they were now non-mercury.
Unclear, after a couple of google searches, if that's true or not. Older tubes definately had mercury. Newer ones...wonder if they are labelled at Home Depot?
Pete |
jgberkeley
Supporter
Username: Jgberkeley
Post Number: 3133
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 4:55 pm: |
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If it is on the web is it the truth?
Do a Goggle on fluorescent+mercury and you will read the lists of both sides of this issue.
Note that for years the tubes have been developed with trace elements of mercury.
You will also find recommendations for NJ state wide disposal.
Now ask your self a question. If this is such a hazard, why do we not have a mandatory pickup demanded by the township health officer?
Should we sue the township for not being on top of this and leaving us all at risk?
What of batteries? Don't we have the same risks? Yet the township tells us to trash the new low mercury batteries.
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sportsnut
Citizen
Username: Sportsnut
Post Number: 528
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 5:09 pm: |
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Just ignore him/her. He/She is a perfect example of the fanatical, alarmist, we're all going to die tomorrow enviro terrorists. Wouldn't surprise me at all if he/she has engaged in some sort of industrial espionage at one time or another. |
tourne
Citizen
Username: Tourne
Post Number: 194
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 5:43 pm: |
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For all you "enviro terrorists", check out the "What's in a household product website" http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/products.htm. It may not be "alarmist" but it is a very cool database. After reading some ingredients, it makes you wonder why the price is so high on some of these things. |
Jackie Day
Citizen
Username: Zoesky1
Post Number: 113
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 8:10 pm: |
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OK, OK. Wow, I had no idea fluorescent tubes had ever or do now pose health issues. My concern was simply how to prevent some hapless garbage man from getting a fistful of glass shards and bleeding all over the place. I will check it out vis a vis mercury content. Maybe I'll just haul my two 4-ft. tubes down to the recycling center and be done with them.
For what it's worth, I did read the label on the new replacement tubes pretty intently because I'd never installed them before, and had no idea how to do it (ended up calling my old dad on that one), and I saw NO MENTION of any hazardous materials or anything saying that the tubes contain mercury. The label said the tubes last about 7 years, so maybe the old ones do contain it? Anyway, i will get rid of mine at the recycling center and leave it at that. Thanks! |
kevin
Citizen
Username: Kevin
Post Number: 84
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2003 - 10:31 am: |
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You might want to try to hurl them like a javelin. We used to do that when we was young (and stupid). When they hit the ground, they would make a huge pop and shatter everywhere. We used to find real long commercial ones behind a shopping center -- maybe they were 4 or 6 feet. They were the best ones to use.
Makes for a fun time.
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botulismo
Citizen
Username: Botulismo
Post Number: 92
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2003 - 1:02 pm: |
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Fluorescent lamps & mercury vapor lamps (streetlights and school gyms...) definitely contain mercury (<0.1%). We still have a manufacturer pretty darn close in Fairfield that makes them. The EPA and NJDEP consider these lamps as universal wastes if intact, hazardous wastes if broken. Universal wastes means hazardous lite (1/2 less paperwork). For household solid wastes, you are not required to segregate these items from your waste (unless specifically listed in your waste hauler's contract) BUT it is in your best interest since we landfill. That means the mercury, lead and other phosphor agents can find a way into the environment, either through evaporation (mercury can evaporate at room temperature) or groundwater discharges. That said, even the green capped bulbs should be separated and brought to a recycling facility. WHY? The EPA has shown that the TCLP done on the contents of the bulb would still exceed the levels that consider the material hazardous.
By the way, the msds is not required to list hazardous components that are less than 1.0% (10,000 ppm - by weight) and 0.1% (1000 ppm - by weight) if carcinogenic.
http://hazard.com/msds/gn.cgi?query=lamp&whole=partial&start=0 |
Matt
Citizen
Username: Mattybd
Post Number: 7
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2003 - 2:56 pm: |
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Kevin has the Spirit! |
Brett
Citizen
Username: Bmalibashksa
Post Number: 154
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 17, 2003 - 3:13 pm: |
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Letterman did that off a building one time, kept yelling that he was Zeus. |
clkelley
Citizen
Username: Clkelley
Post Number: 15
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, September 18, 2003 - 1:56 pm: |
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Yikes ... somebody please help me out here ... I recently accidentally broke a fluorescent tube. And I broke another one a couple of years ago. (OK I'm not the most coordinated person in town.) What is the chance that I got mercury poisoning??? Or that there is any residual damage anywhere in my house?
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jgberkeley
Supporter
Username: Jgberkeley
Post Number: 3137
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, September 18, 2003 - 2:43 pm: |
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Low to very low.
Did you stand and breath in all the dust? Did you rub the dust on your skin and leave it for a day or two?
If not, low to very low.
I just had a sandwich at Katz’s deli. I bet the corned beef had more toxins than you were exposed to with your tubes.
In my opinion.
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Ukealalio
Citizen
Username: Ukealalio
Post Number: 47
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, September 18, 2003 - 5:30 pm: |
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But after you ate at Katz's, did you,"Send a Salami to your boy in the Army "?. |
botulismo
Citizen
Username: Botulismo
Post Number: 93
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Friday, September 19, 2003 - 9:58 am: |
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Negligible risk, compared to other exposures of mercury in your life. We are talking milligrams of mercury as a vapor. You have bigger sources of mercury in your house such as your gas regulator (check with PSEG to see if you have had yours replaced), thermometers, mercury light switches (we still have a bunch in our house - they are the "soft" touch switches), and analog thermostats to name a few. Diet, expecially wild caught fish, amalgam dental fillings and preservatives (Thimerosol) are other sources.
If anybody has a significant exposure relative to their house that they should have a concern over, it is lead from paint, then next worst is asbestos. My brother-in-law is dealing with a upside down turned world due to a painter not prepping the outside of his house properly. He went to contract with a painter (not in NJ) to use proper lead paint removal methods on his 1920's bungalow. They went out of town to avoid the construction and when they came back, paint chips and dust was everywhere. They presumed the paint contained lead but weren't positive. Hoping for the best but assuming the worst, they tested the paint and it came back came back positive for lead. Now their entire yard and some of their neighbors' are covered in lead contaminated dust and paint chips. Some dust was entrained into the house. The worst part about it is that they have a two year old daughter whose toys, bedding and play areas are covered with this fine dust. Their version of the DEP and DOH have spent the last week all over the house and neighborhood taking samples and investigating. Probably the top few inches of soil will have to removed and the house decontaminated. And yes this can and does happen in NJ. Fine Homebuilding had a recent article as a primer in lead paint safety. Good links to other sources of info. Thread drift anyone?
Mr. Gloom & Doom
I miss the days of playing javelin catch with the big light tubes...
http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/pages/h00108.asp |
tourne
Citizen
Username: Tourne
Post Number: 195
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Friday, September 19, 2003 - 12:22 pm: |
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Hey, for a sample of what pollutants the average human has accumulated in your body, see www.bodyburden.org. And by the way, eating chunk white Tuna, swordfish, and shark is the easiest way for everyone, especially pregnant women and children to get a damaging dose of mercury. |
Joan
Citizen
Username: Joancrystal
Post Number: 1951
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, September 21, 2003 - 2:08 pm: |
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Tourne:
I really like that NIH Product Safety site. Unfortunately, I found that a number of the products I use in my home are not listed. Is this because they are considered safe or, more likely, because the manufacturers did not choose to make this information available? |
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