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Removing lamp breakage

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Breadcrumb

  2. Background
  3. Disposal of waste lamps and fracture
  4. Removing lamp breakage

What shall you do when a lamp brakes that contains mercury?

Keep cool.

Normally, the mercury of discharge lamps is locked in the glass bulb safe and sound.

For you as a user, the absolutely only possibility to get into contact with mercury is if the bulb is broken or damaged. Should this happen, please, observe the following rules in order to be exposed to mercury as little as possible.

 

In the case of breakage, please...

  • be careful and do not cut yourself.
  • if there are lamp fragments left in the luminaire, disconnect power (risk of electric shock).
  • sweep up lamp shards and fragments with one-way wipes, carton and/ or sticky tape.
  • if you use the vacuum cleaner due to local conditions (e.g. carpet) dispose of the vacuum bag straightaway.
  • put lamp fragments in a sealable container or bag and remove it from the home.
  • air room well (open window) and leave the room for a while if possible.
  • wash hands and clothing after cleaning up.
  • dispose of broken as well as non-functional lamps in a professional manner (see 'Recycling organisations')

Background information

This way, you can get a good grasp of the situation. So, you can evaluate the circumstances appropriately and act accordingly.

  • Inhaling mercury vapour is the most important way for mercury to get into the human body.
  • At room temperature mercury is liquid and vaporises slowly. At higher temperatures it vaporises quicker. If a lamps brakes while burning the mercury inside has already become vapour.
  • The mercury will stick with the parts of a broken lamp and evaporate over time. If you put the pieces into a bin outside your home the mercury will not stay inside, however, if you put the pieces into the kitchen bin that will be contra productive. The same applies to the vacuum cleaner bag: If you do not change it after having hoovered the leftovers of a lamps from the floor the vapours will come out every time you use the vacuum cleaner.
  • Good airing of the affected area reduces the mercury vapours efficiently.
  • Use quality lamps from Radium - thus, you can be sure that energy saving lamps really do contain much less mercury than the strict RoHS directives allow.

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