Broken Mercury Light Bulb On Carpet

Scoop up the larger pieces of glass from the floor.

Broken mercury light bulb on carpet.

A vacuum cleaner or broom will break the mercury into smaller drops and spread it around more. If the lamp broke on a carpet you can vacuum but it. Vacuum the area where the bulb was broken using the vacuum hose if available. Anything that rifles through the broken bits of your bulb is going to risk mercury contamination.

Tiny mercury droplets will settle throughout the area increasing the spread of the mercury in the room. And remove the vacuum bag or empty and wipe the canister and seal the bag vacuum debris and any materials used to clean the vacuum in a plastic bag. Airout the room for 5 10 minutes by opening a window or door to the outdoor. After you ve gathered what you need re enter the room where the cfl bulb was broken.

You ll also want to be sure not to use your vacuum as doing so will risk kicking mercury back up. Stiff paper or cardboard sticky tape damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes for hard surfaces and an airtight container such as a glass jar with a metal lid or a resealable plastic bag. Broken fluorescent bulbs and lamps fluorescent bulbs and lamps including compact fluorescent lights cfls contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing an average of 5 milligrams about the amount that would cover the tip of a ballpoint pen. Broken glass from a shattered cup vase or light bulb is not only a nuisance to clean off of carpeting but also represents a hazard to anyone who walks in the area.

You can limit contamination by gathering up the large pieces of the broken bulb into a bag and set the bag outside. They will be harder to clean up. Collect the following materials to clean up the broken bulb. The room should then be left to air out for an hour or so.

Cfls contain mercury a potentially dangerous substance that escapes from broken cfls into the immediate surroundings and therefore the breakage of a cfl bulb should be handled by carefully. Havepeople and pets leave the room. By comparison older thermometers contain a 500 milligrams of mercury. Place the shards into the glass jar or ziploc bag.

Leave the windows vents and doors to the outside open in order to continue to let the mercury vapor dissipate.