Unless you’ve been living under a rock or hiding out in a cave with no electricity, you’ll be only too aware that the good old fashioned incandescent light bulb is a thing of the past, relegated to dodgy backroom deals and overpriced eBay auctions. Here in Australia the Government has decided what’s best for its population by completely phasing them out. It’s a similar story overseas.

Whilst the energy savings resulting from solely using compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) is beneficial for the environment, what isn’t widely known is that CFLs (and the older style tube fluorescent lights) contain a very small amount of mercury (about the size of a ball point) sealed within the glass tubing. In case you don’t know, mercury when combined with the human body is bad – really, really bad.That said, there’s really no need to panic. As long as the mercury is contained within the glass tubing, everything is as safe as houses. However, should you have the misfortune of breaking one, according to a recently released Victorian Board of Health fact sheet, there are a few steps you should take to minimise any potential exposure to the mercury. Click here to download the PDF.

1. Ventilate the room.
2. Scoop up all the glass fragments and powder. Use gloves to protect against cuts.
3. Put all the pieces of broken globe or tube into a rigid sealed container.
4. Use sticky tape to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
5. Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in a glass jar or plastic bag.
6. Continue to ventilate the room for 12-24 hours.
7. Dispose of the mercury and any contaminated items in the rubbish. Don’t put them in the recycling.

All seems fairly straightforward and a far cry from the alarmist articles published a couple of years ago in which it was claimed that it was necessary for the room to be immediately evacuated and that disposal required the use of a special bin at designated council dumps.

Discuss (if you feel the urge).