Broken fluorescent lamp what to do. How to eliminate the danger from a broken fluorescent lamp

Ecology of consumption. Home: Saving on electricity is a laudable goal, and energy-saving lamps serve it well. The problem is that if the energy saver breaks, there may be a danger to the health of the residents of the house. We will present you the procedure in case of damage to the energy-saving lamp.

Saving on electricity is a laudable goal, and energy-saving lamps serve it regularly. The problem is that if the energy saver breaks, there may be a danger to the health of the residents of the house. We will present you the procedure in case of damage to the energy-saving lamp.

We described in detail all the features of energy-saving lamps, mentioning the mercury content in a glass bulb as a minus, albeit in low concentrations. As we remember, mercury belongs to substances of the first class of danger, and in large quantities it can be deadly to humans. A glass flask is a fragile thing, it can be broken for various reasons. At the same time, mercury vapor from fluorescent lamp get into the room. What to do?

Don't panic and brace yourself! There is no mortal danger from one lamp. For comparison, one energy-saving lamp contains about 2.5–3 milligrams of mercury, while a conventional thermometer contains about two grams, that is, almost 800 times more. A person will feel a deterioration in well-being if the entire volume of mercury contained in the lamp enters the body, and this requires a very tight contact.

In addition, if the lamp breaks when it was turned off, then there is no danger of a negative effect on a person. There is no free mercury in the lamp, there is an "amalgam" - a metal alloy containing this dangerous substance. Under normal conditions, in the off state, the alloy will not allow mercury vapor to spread around the room.

Therefore, there is certainly no reason to panic, but certain actions must be taken in order not to risk health.

So, what to do if an energy-saving lamp breaks in a room:

1. Leave the room and open all windows for ventilation. There should be no one in the room for 10-15 minutes, be sure to take your pets out.
2. Put on rubber gloves, a gauze bandage or a respirator, take a bag and a rag. To collect the fragments, you can also use adhesive tape or a damp sponge, wet wipes. Putting on gloves, very carefully collect all the fragments in a bag using improvised means and close it tightly.

Important! Do not use a vacuum cleaner or a broom! The vacuum cleaner will be a pity to throw away, and, in addition, it, like a broom, will contribute to the spread of mercury vapor around the room.

1. Not only the fragments themselves are placed in the package, but also all the items with which you collected them, do not forget about this.
2. Do not rush to remove the bag with dangerous garbage far away. You should also put a damp cloth in it, with which you will have to carefully wipe the place where the lamp fell.

Important! To process the room in which it crashed energy saving lamp, you can use any household chlorine-containing preparations, for example, the well-known "Whiteness". They help to carry out demercurization, that is, to neutralize mercury, as well as solutions of soda, potassium permanganate and iodine. The solution is applied to the surface where the lamp has broken, for 6-8 hours, and then washed off with warm water and soap.

1. We collect in a bag all the items that were in contact with the fragments and the contaminated surface during cleaning, close it. You can’t, we strongly repeat, you can’t throw away either the energy-saving lamps themselves, or the broken fragments, or the objects with which you put them in a regular trash can.

Where, then, should they be thrown away? By law, in management company your house. But if there is none, then to a hazardous waste collection point. On the territory of some large enterprises and office centers there are also special containers for hazardous waste, you can search.

1. Almost forgot about the clothes in which you had to work. It must be disposed of, but if it is a pity to throw it away, then professional cleaning is required.

Worse if the lamp is broken on the carpet. You'll have to take it off, even if it's carpet, and take it outside. Having spread an oilcloth or an old blanket for collecting fragments under a carpet or a piece of carpet, carefully knock it out with reverse side and leave to air, preferably for a couple of days. The bedspread or oilcloth with fragments and remains of the phosphor is returned to the bag and for disposal, do not leave them on the street, do not create a danger to others.

If the lamp crashed on the sofa, for example, we repeat all the steps, we carry out the demercurization of the soft surface. To get rid of all concerns, you can invite specialists and conduct an analysis for mercury content. In general, if substances from an energy-saving lamp could be absorbed into the wood, got on the fabric base, other absorbent materials, experts still advise using professional cleaning services.

And finally, advice - pay attention to LED lamp, because they are safer than fluorescent ones, and surpass them in energy efficiency.published

Fluorescent lamps are highly efficient due to active mercury vapor placed inside the bulb. Under the action of the discharge, it emits a glow in the ultraviolet spectrum. Such lamps are completely safe for humans throughout the entire period of operation. However, if they explode, then if the glass case is damaged, the situation changes, there is a danger of mercury contamination. environment and poisoning people in the room.

Therefore, if a fluorescent lamp breaks, urgent measures must be taken to dispose of it and neutralize toxic substances.

Dangerous consequences of broken lamps

Most people are well aware of the harm that mercury can do to the body. Therefore, when a thermometer breaks, everyone strives to collect dangerous balls from the broken product as quickly as possible. With energy-saving lamps, the situation is completely different. Initially, a broken flask does not bother anyone, and measures are taken only when negative consequences occur.

Such an attitude is completely wrong, since the mercury vapor contained in the flask is much more dangerous than the mercury in pure form. Their main harm lies in the fact that from a destroyed lamp they fall directly into Airways and then enter the body through the lungs.

When a fluorescent lamp breaks, the very first action to neutralize harmful substances is to ventilate the room. Due to this, the concentration of mercury vapor is noticeably reduced, the main thing is that this procedure be carried out in a timely manner.

Harm to the human body

A more detailed consideration of the effects of mercury vapor on the human body will help to understand the consequences of a broken fluorescent lamp. First of all, mercury causes poisoning.

Acute poisoning is considered the most dangerous. It consists in the ingestion of a large amount of harmful substances in a short period of time. The first signs of poisoning appear after two hours.

Main symptoms:

• Nausea and vomiting.
• Stomach ache.
• Swollen gums.
• Pneumonia.
• Bloody diarrhea, etc.

These symptoms are accompanied elevated temperature, and in particular severe cases the victim may die. greatest danger for the body they represent vapors that are in a heated state, so you must very carefully unscrew the fluorescent lamp that has just been turned off.

Sometimes it happens that the remains of mercury are not completely removed and, remaining indoors, they continue to affect the body. This leads to chronic poisoning, accompanied by damage to the central nervous system. Symptoms are manifested in the form of drowsiness or apathy, fatigue. A severe form of poisoning affects the brain, causing a marked deterioration in memory with simultaneous severe trembling in the limbs.

Eliminating the consequences of a broken lamp

Not everyone knows what actions to take if a fluorescent lamp breaks. In such cases, do not panic.

First of all, you need to do the following:

• In the room where the broken lamp was located, it is necessary to open the windows for 1.5 hours to ventilate the room. The room can be left open for longer, this will only improve the result and remove mercury faster. Before airing the room, not only people, but also pets must leave.
• Shards and other parts of the lamp should be disposed of as soon as possible. Mercury powder is collected with a damp sponge on a homemade cardboard scoop. The smallest glass fragments are removed from the surface with adhesive tape or adhesive tape. Everything cleaned should be securely closed in an airtight plastic bag.
• After the room is ventilated, it needs to be wet cleaned. Processing and disinfection of the floor surface is carried out aqueous solution bleach or potassium permanganate. Washing is carried out in the direction from the edges to the center of the room. This method will allow you to collect the remaining unremoved fragments and mercury.
• Shoe soles should be cleaned with bleach.
• The used rag is removed in a bag, sealed and taken out for recycling or in special tanks.

It is forbidden to use a vacuum cleaner or a broom to collect fragments, flush them down the toilet, which is absolutely impossible to do. At the point of collection and you need to describe in detail the circumstances of the damage that occurred. A broken fluorescent lamp and parts from it are sent for recycling, where they serve as the basis for the manufacture of new light sources. Not only lamps are made of them, but also thermometers.

Rules for the use of fluorescent lamps

Fluorescent lamps based on mercury vapor do not pose any danger to others if they are in good working order and all the necessary operating rules are observed.

Among the rules we highlight the following:

• When buying fluorescent lamps, it is recommended to give preference to proven manufacturers that guarantee the quality of their products. Control is carried out at all stages technological process, The lamps go on sale in absolutely good condition, which is confirmed by set codes and certificates.
• Before installing a bulb in a luminaire, carefully check the integrity of each bulb. The presence of even minor cracks is the basis for returning the product to the manufacturer under warranty.
• During operation, the lamp must be handled carefully so as not to break it. Then the flask with mercury is guaranteed to remain intact. When screwing and unscrewing, hold on to the bulb body and do not apply force to the glass elements. Otherwise, the flask may crack and explode in your hands.
• It is recommended to periodically check fluorescent lamps for cracks and other damage. Special attention should be given to lighting sources that have worked for more than a year.
• Do not use too tight lampshades and shades. AT energy saving light bulb more than 10 W, there is a tendency to become very hot. As a result, low-quality products overheat in a confined space, their electrical circuits catch fire, and the flasks receive irreversible physical damage, up to an explosion.

Sometimes people perform certain actions in relation to fluorescent lamps, which pose a serious danger to others. For example, in the event of a breakdown, some owners repair the old one instead of buying a new lamp. With improper intervention in the circuit, depressurization of the flask containing mercury is quite possible. Therefore, in the absence of experience and practical skills, it is recommended not to disassemble and repair, but to buy a new lamp so that the old one does not accidentally explode.

Dear Oleg! If a fluorescent lamp (which contains mercury) breaks, then you need to do the same when a mercury thermometer breaks - carefully collect the mercury, I would advise you to use an ordinary syringe with a rubber tip for this or, if you have one with a plastic tip, you need to remove it and with the help of the remaining pear, "pull" the mercury inside. Ventilate the room well, because. Mercury fumes are very harmful. And treat the surface that mercury has come into contact with (see below). You need to know that lamps containing mercury are classified as waste of the 1st hazard class, i.e. considered to be very dangerous. Therefore, throwing them, even if they are not broken, but simply out of order, cannot be thrown into a common trash can. I usually do the following - I call the housing office and ask where to take what is left of the lamp. Some ZhEKs at the place of residence themselves accept mercury lamps, and then transfer them to organizations that dispose of them according to the instructions (a license must be issued for this), and some ZhEKs, if they do not have a special container, must say where, to which organization in your district must be disposed of as hazardous waste.

Here is the opinion of experts from Ecotrom
(for reference - Research and Production Enterprise "EKOTROM" - winner of the Moscow government award in the field of environmental protection (2004) and the competition "100 best environmental organizations Russia" (2007), winner of the GRAND PRIX of the 1st All-Russian competition "ECOLOGY OF RUSSIA" (2008), member of the "Guild of Ecologists"):

"If an ordinary fluorescent lamp containing from 20 to 150 (mg) of mercury breaks, over 11 thousand tiny mercury balls are formed, with a total surface of 3.53 cm2. This is enough to pollute a room with a volume of 300 thousand m3 (*). In the case of a smaller room volume, mercury pollution can reach tens or even hundreds of MPCs (MAC of mercury in air is 0.0003 mg/m3)." www.ecotrom.ru

Here's what Wikipedia says about it:

"When spilling mercury, it is necessary (points 3,4,5,6 are especially important):

1. Close access to the premises and remove everyone from the premises.

2. Report the incident to local authorities Ministry of Emergency Situations and ask specialists to leave. This is necessary even with a small spill of mercury, for example, when a thermometer or a fluorescent lamp is broken, since without the appropriate equipment one cannot be sure that all the metal has been removed. Even a small dose of mercury indoors has a negative effect on the body.

3. Arrange intensive ventilation of the room.

4. Carry out mechanical collection of mercury.
The easiest way to collect mercury is with an ordinary syringe. The collected mercury must be placed in a container with water, carefully collect the remains of the thermometer in the same container. Never use a vacuum cleaner to collect mercury. Firstly, the vacuum cleaner heats up and increases the evaporation of mercury, and secondly, the air passes through the vacuum cleaner motor, and an amalgam forms on the engine parts, which are made of non-ferrous metals, after which the vacuum cleaner itself becomes a distributor of mercury vapor. Droplets of mercury can be collected with paper towels soaked in ordinary sunflower oil. Mercury balls will stick to the oily place.
You can also soak a newspaper in water and apply the resulting slurry to the site of the mercury spill. then carefully collect the gruel in a container of water. As you stir, the paper will float and the mercury will settle to the bottom.
If mercury has got on the carpet or carpets, then it is necessary to carefully roll the carpet, from the periphery to the center, so that the mercury balls do not scatter around the room. It is advisable to place the carpet in a whole plastic bag or simply wrap it in plastic wrap from the periphery to the center and take it out into the street. After that, hang up a carpet or carpet, and lay a cellophane film under it so that mercury does not pollute the soil and knock out the carpet with gentle blows. It is also necessary to let the carpet or carpeting hang and ventilate outside.

5. Shoes in which you walked around the room where mercury was spilled should not be taken out of this room, and if you take it out, then only in a plastic bag or sealed container, since particles of mercury are attached to your feet and you can spread mercury throughout the apartment .

6. Carry out chemical demercurization (removal of mercury).

A. Treat the surface with warm soapy soda solution(400 g of soap, 500 g of soda per 10 liters of water)

B. The most effective and most harmless and affordable way to demercurize premises is as follows: walls and floors are treated with 1% iodine solution (10 ml of 10% iodine solution, which is sold in a pharmacy, per 1 liter of water). After 30 minutes, the area is treated with the following solution: blue vitriol CuSO4 (for 1 liter of water 30 g of copper sulfate) - buy at the household. store, sodium sulfite Na2SO3 7H2O (180 g per 1 liter of water) (available in a photo store) and sodium bicarbonate NaHCO3 (baking soda, 40 g per 1 liter of water). The solution is prepared in the following way: first, copper sulfate and sodium sulfite are mixed with water until the precipitate is completely dissolved, and then baking soda is added.

Mercury indication

Indication of the degree of infection is carried out using palladium indicator paper, as well as using special devices. Old devices of the AGP series (AGP - 01; AGP - 01 M, etc.). Now measurements are carried out using a more modern device RA 915+.

If a fluorescent lamp is broken

What should I do if a fluorescent lamp breaks? Where to throw it away and how to protect yourself and your family from harmful mercury vapor? Inside each such light bulb contains mercury, which, if the lamp is damaged, enters the surrounding space. It is not mercury itself that is dangerous, as such, but its vapors, which, when inhaled into the lungs, cause serious health problems.

First of all, you need to open the windows and ventilate the room. If it's cold outside, then let at least the window be open. Poisoning occurs precisely because of the inhalation of mercury vapor, so airing the room is the first precaution.

When cleaning up a broken fluorescent lamp, close the airways with a medical gauze bandage, if not, then at least tie a T-shirt. Put on gloves and prepare a metal can. The glasses from the lamp can be collected in a regular bag, and the remaining mercury must be removed in a jar with a tight lid.

To collect mercury, use a brush and a sheet of paper - notice the mercury balls with a brush on a piece of paper and lower it all into a jar. It is easy to collect mercury from a lamp on linoleum or parquet, that is, on smooth surfaces. If the mercury balls got on the carpet, you can remove them with a medical pear (just suck them out of the pile with a pear). After that, the pear will also have to be thrown away.

When all the mercury and glass are collected, wash the floor in this place with a rag soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate. Check again if you have removed all the glass and mercury balls. After that, discard the remains of the broken lamp. Mercury cannot be thrown into the container, so it is better to call the Ministry of Emergency Situations and ask if you have hazardous waste disposal centers in your city.

When everything is removed, the incident can be forgotten. The fact is that fluorescent lamps are not as dangerous as even the well-known mercury thermometers, because they contain a negligible amount of mercury - about 1-25 mg, depending on the power of the lamp. For comparison, a standard thermometer contains about 500 mg of mercury. It also depends on the manufacturer. Lamps made to European standards contain very little mercury in the form of amalgam, while Chinese products often contain liquid mercury.

If a fluorescent lamp breaks, remove children and pets from the room as they may climb into the broken pieces. In addition, even a small amount of mercury can be dangerous for a child. Therefore, until the room is ventilated, and the fragments and mercury are not collected from the floor, do not let anyone into the room.

The thermometer is broken, the whole apartment is running around in search of a broom and a scoop to collect mercury. And she has already turned into balls and runs either under the bed, or under the table, or somewhere else. And you all run and run after her. But when you screw an energy-saving lamp into a cartridge, and it accidentally slips out of your hands and falls, for unknown reasons, no one raises a panic. But it would be worth worrying about the lamp more than because of the thermometer. In addition to small fragments, there are also many harmful and negative aspects. And the worst thing is mercury vapor. So, exhaled, calmed down, threw off the panic, we begin.

The first thing to start with when talking about the consequences of a broken fluorescent lamp is mercury. I hasten to please you that free mercury is not contained in an energy-saving lamp. For those who suddenly do not know, or simply forgot, free mercury is a liquid, silvery metal. The lamp does not contain this kind of mercury. There is evaporated mercury, more precisely, mercury vapor. They are very harmful, because when broken, the lamps get straight into the respiratory tract and are absorbed through the lungs into the body.

Now take a deep breath. One lamp, depending on the power, contains from 0.1 to 0.5 grams of mercury. As I said earlier, it is contained in the form of vapor. And couples are the most harmful. Mercury, which became balls after breaking the thermometer, can be collected. It is most convenient to use the usual wide adhesive tape or children's plasticine. But how will you collect pairs? They can be ventilated. It is fair to say that this is not some kind of fatal dose of mercury, but there may be poisoning. The main thing is not to forget that everyone different organism, and, accordingly, everyone has a different immune system. And someone may have nothing, but someone will be poisoned. So you have to be careful.

Now I propose to hit the anatomy a little and talk about the impact directly on the body. And, no less important, about the consequences of such an impact. The consequences can be very different. To begin, let's take a look at options poisoning.

The most dangerous variant of mercury vapor poisoning is acute poisoning. With this option, a large amount of mercury vapor enters the human body over a short period. If poisoning occurs, the consequences will not be long in coming. A couple of hours and the primary signs of poisoning will appear. And they are very diverse. From stomach pain to bloody diarrhea, from pneumonia to swollen gums, nausea and vomiting. Most often, the temperature rises to at least thirty-eight degrees. In case of particularly severe poisoning, it is possible fatal outcome. But let's not talk about sad things. This is actually not a common occurrence. Most likely, a broken light bulb will not poison you, but no one has canceled safety precautions. The last thing worth breaking is a hot energy-saving fluorescent lamp. The most dangerous vapors are hot, so it is not recommended to break a lamp that has just been turned off. According to statistics, mercury poisoning is extremely rare in domestic conditions, but, I repeat, you need to be careful not to fall into sad statistics.

The next two types of poisoning have nothing to do with a broken lamp at all, but it's good to know about it. At least to know how to act in such a situation. The first of these is chronic mercury vapor poisoning. It occurs as a result of prolonged exposure to vapors with a slight excess of mercury content. This impact can last up to several years. And it hits the centerpiece nervous system. Depending on the type of lesion, symptoms also appear. It may just be fatigue, drowsiness or apathy. In more severe forms, an effect on the brain is manifested, and this is bad. There may be memory impairment and severe trembling in the limbs.

The second form is micromercurialism. Such poisoning occurs gradually. As a rule, a meager concentration of mercury vapor constantly acts on the body for a very long time. Long before the appearance of primary signs, the ability to smell smells is sharply reduced. Signs of such poisoning are decreased performance, drowsiness, apathy and memory lapses. This general poisoning of the body also leads to a reduction in immunity. Most often, such poisoning occurs in those who work in a mercury-related industry and neglect safety measures. But the reasons may be different and in domestic conditions such poisoning is possible. Especially in cases where mercury from a broken thermometer was not carefully removed. It can lie in the folds of the parquet, evaporate and slowly poison you.

Now, I think everyone is interested in learning about precautions and safety. It is also probably interesting to know what to do if a thermometer or lamp breaks. So at the end of the article, we’ll talk about this. You checked the temperature. All is well with health. But, putting the thermometer into the case, he jumped out of his hands and ... Well, in general, he crashed. Mercury balls roll on the floor, what should I do? For starters, don't panic. Panic is bad and generally reserved for the weak. The first thing to do is open the window and close the door. It is necessary to ventilate the room for a couple of hours, while not creating a draft, as this can spread the vapors throughout the apartment. It is also worth restricting people's access to the place of the terrorist attack of the thermometer. Never use a broom or a vacuum cleaner to collect mercury. Will be worse. In this situation, adhesive tape and children's plasticine are our everything. They will stick mercury to themselves, and will not drive it from corner to corner.

Now about the terrorism that a fluorescent lamp can arrange. She crashed, but it's easier to deal with her. First, there is four times less mercury in the lamp. But the downside is that, unlike a thermometer, the lamp does not contain metal, but already its vapors. It is worth expelling everyone from the room in which the sabotage occurred. Just like with a thermometer, in no case should you make a draft. In this situation, it is even more dangerous. You, as far as possible, will need a jar, preferably with a solution of potassium permanganate. A water bottle will work too. In it you need to collect all the fragments that you can collect by hand and take it to recycling. If this is not possible, you need to pack it well and throw it away. Then vacuum or wipe the floor with a damp cloth. After the room is ventilated, it will be possible to assume that the danger has passed.