(A.K.A. Non-Original Rants)

–Co-opting good stuff from all over the ‘Net and maybe some original thoughts—ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

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Breaking a CFL–Hazmat Alert!

This morning I noticed that a compact florescent light bulb had burnt out in the guest room so I got up on a chair to change it out.  Sure as anything, it slid right out my hand and on a pile of clothes.  And broke.  Really, shattered.  And sent shards all over the place.  And if you look on the internet, this type of incident is second only to living near Fukishima or at the Love Canal in the need for hazmat remediation.  ZOMG!  Shut down your air conditioner and open the windows! Hide the pets!  Put on your respirator and coveralls and prepare for decon!

I did vacuum it up and rinsed out the drum afterwards even though the online fearmonging site said to only use duct tape and wet cloths for clean up to avoid the miniscule amount of mercury released from contaminating the whole house.  But “they” even recommend throwing out the clothes that you wore while cleaning it up.  Apparently “they” have a much larger clothing budget than I do.  The clothes upon which this item from hell shattered are going in the wash.  So are the clothes I had on this morning while cleaning up.  Some of the shards landed on my overnight bag that was pretty pricey.  I’m going to live on the edge and just settle with wiping it down with a wet paper towel.

I like the cost savings of using these things, but dang, I’m thinking incandescent bulbs from now on, if I can find any.  Too much stress.



14 responses to “Breaking a CFL–Hazmat Alert!”

  1. LED bulbs are worth the changeover costs. Longest life of all, no hazmat issues, no significant heat production, most energy efficient, and unlike CFLs, they are instant-on, just like an incan.

    Like

  2. I second the LEDS – longer life, better light and beats the heck out of CFLS in all categories.I busted a CFL in the garage a bit ago – great fun cleaning it up, but not quite as involved as your decontamination situation.

    Like

  3. I'm going to start changing over to LEDs. I've begun in the bathroom and will fan out from there. Unfortunately I'm not sure about the price differential, but they are becoming more affordable, I think.

    Like

  4. Don't tell anybody, you'll have EPA on your ass and charge you $4000 for cleanup of a hazmat spill…

    Like

  5. There is NO WAY that the a CFL could have burnt out in the guest room…..they are rated at 5000 hours, and I put the new fixture in last year……

    Like

  6. All those nights you thought I was sleeping in there, I was running secret experiments involving cat hair and CFLs.

    Like

  7. I stocked up on old incandescent bulbs just to be contrary and anti-big-government but I agree that LEDs are the way to go. As for the mercury contamination hazard of the CFLs…Meh. Do you really believe the same people who still think that Al Gore is right on Global Warming?

    Like

  8. LED bulbs are worth the changeover costs. Longest life of all, no hazmat issues, no significant heat production, most energy efficient, and unlike CFLs, they are instant-on, just like an incan.

    Like

  9. I second the LEDS – longer life, better light and beats the heck out of CFLS in all categories.I busted a CFL in the garage a bit ago – great fun cleaning it up, but not quite as involved as your decontamination situation.

    Like

  10. I'm going to start changing over to LEDs. I've begun in the bathroom and will fan out from there. Unfortunately I'm not sure about the price differential, but they are becoming more affordable, I think.

    Like

  11. Don't tell anybody, you'll have EPA on your ass and charge you $4000 for cleanup of a hazmat spill…

    Like

  12. There is NO WAY that the a CFL could have burnt out in the guest room…..they are rated at 5000 hours, and I put the new fixture in last year……

    Like

  13. All those nights you thought I was sleeping in there, I was running secret experiments involving cat hair and CFLs.

    Like

  14. I stocked up on old incandescent bulbs just to be contrary and anti-big-government but I agree that LEDs are the way to go. As for the mercury contamination hazard of the CFLs…Meh. Do you really believe the same people who still think that Al Gore is right on Global Warming?

    Like

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