Light Bulb Emergency Plan

Happy New Year and don't forget to make sure that you and your family have their Emergency Action Plans (EAP) in place. You need to come up with a plan should a compact fluorescent bulb, also known as "Mercury Bulbs", break inside your home.  Why?  Due to the mercury in fluorescent bulbs you will need to have a plan in place to deal with this potentially deadly neurotoxin.

Suggestions for your EAP plan:
*Evacuation routes; nearest windows, doors, with a central meeting point 2 to 3 houses away.
*Family and pet identification count; in order to insure nobody is left inside house.
*If possible shut off central heating and air conditioning while opening windows for ventilation prior to leaving home.
*It is recommended that you leave your home from 15 minutes to 8 hours.  Without a consensus on time I would follow the latter.

Items needed for cleanup and clean up procedure:
*Hazmat Level B Suit (some sites say not necessary)
*Rubber Gloves
*Mask
*Goggles
*Plastic shoe covers
*Duct Tape
*Stiff Cardboard
*Airtight container; glass jar
*Paper Towels

Steps to follow:
1. Put on protective clothing.
2. Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
3. Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
4. Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the glass jar or plastic bag.
5. Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.
6. Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
7. Again, Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
8. If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken and dispose of vacuum cleaner bag.
9. Immediately place all cleanup materials outside the building in a trash container or outdoor protected area for the next normal trash.
10. Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
11. Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states prohibit such trash disposal and require that broken and unbroken mercury-     containing bulbs be taken to a local recycling center.
12.Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.
13.The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window prior to vacuuming.  Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.

That is all.  Have a Happy a Safe New Year.

Wait, why are we being forced into CFL's?

Light Bulb Emergency Plan