I finally figured out what happened to me in grade school. It was the mercury, in the broken thermometers, that we played with.
Remember those little silver balls that would roll around, break apart and come back together. Roll them from hand to hand. Everybody thought it was pretty cool stuff back then. Did the teacher give it to us or did we break the thermometers on our own. Heck, I don't remember. I just remember how cool it was to play with the little balls of mercury.
While surfing around today, I ran into this article about a lady who had chosen to seal off her daughter's bedroom while she tries to come up with the $2000.00 an environmental company wants to charge her for cleaning up the remnants of a Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) that broke in the room.
Though the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Snopes.com (Urban Legend Reference Website) now say that was a serious over reaction and overkill.
I didn't even know that CFLs contained mercury. Now, I find we need to recycle them as hazardous waste. Are CFLs worth all the hassle. It seems we don't have a choice. Congress passed an energy bill, on December 18th, 2007, that calls for regular tungsten filament light bulbs to be banned by the year 2014.
I hope that Georgetown, Kentucky soon develops a hazardous waste recylcing center for the bulbs as this ole Home Inspector has already changed all the bulbs in the house to CFLs and those few that stopped working have been put in the regular trash.
And if you didn't click on the links above to see how to clean one up when it breaks, here's a short summary of
The following steps can be performed by the general public:
1. Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
2. Carefully scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a sealed plastic bag.
3. Place all cleanup materials in a second sealed plastic bag.
4. If a fluorescent bulb breaks on a rug or carpet:
Dang, I guess popping those long fluorescent bulbs in the trash can is a no-no too now! Guess I should have popped them and ran from the dust cloud it created. But no, I'd just fling another one.
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I remember play with mercury as well. I still think I have some stored in a pen cap at my parents house. Next time I go home I will call the health Dept and get it remove. Great post about the lights. We use to bust those up as kids as well. I must not be to healthy. Doh!!!!!
J.
I think if one looks at the source of the article (The London Daily Mail), i would have to question it. That is a rag similar to our beloved and trusted National Enquirer.
Scott: That just ain't like you. Didn't read the other links did you. The original link makes hyperbole out of it. The other links explain in much better detail about the hazards of CFL and the recommended actions if the thing breaks. They make a lot more sense! Go back and read again, thoroughly.
Matt: Gee, maybe it was the teachers giving it to us to play with.
Jeff: Don't call the Health Department. They'll do their typical over reaction, tent your parents house and force them to evacuate. Later comes the big bill for the cleanup. Just take it down to the Health Department. Let them tent and evacuate their own dang building if that's what they want to do.
Classes were canceled Tuesday and yesterday after school officials found that a small amount of the naturally occurring metal had spilled from a broken thermometer in a science lab.
I guess I was trying to be sarcastic. Typing it doesn't quite come across.
J.
Ah Jeff, don't sweat it. I got your sarcasm and came back with some of my own. We need some of those little emoticon things other BBs have so we can tell more about the mood of the typing.
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Erby, my daughter learned about these bulbs in class and I couldn't believe that we were suppose to treat them as hazardous waste. This seems like another asinine idea- forcing us to use them, but not educating consumers about the danger if they break. How many people will actually follow the EPA directions? Thanks for posting!
Erby, manufacturers are supposedly working hard to get the small amount of mercury out of the bulbs by the 2014 date (lol). Supposedly coal fired power generation puts more mercury into the environment than these bulbs do. When I was a kid I remember taking spent 4' bulbs to the local dump (anyone remember what a "dump" was). We use to throw one way up in the air and then try to hit it with another one before it hit the ground---man were we both ignorant and stupid:)
Debbie: It ain't all that dangerous if you just treat em right.
Charles: Didn't you get a kick out of the pop they made when you managed to hit one.
Hey Erby,
My Bad! I was watching the ballgames at the same time!
Scott: Did your team win! I often do the same thing. Commercial breaks and in between plays are a good time to do message boards.
Erby,
Days gone by... I still remember my dad putting those long bulbs in the incinerator in the basement and burning them. (I did the mercury thing too!!! Amazing we survived!!!)
This is a super huge issue, and I am glad you bring this up, the pubic needs to be thinking here, its very important. Lance
Martin: But we did!
Lance: You're welcome.
Erby, It's just one more thing to worry about! Thanks for the reminder! I might put this post in next week's newsletter with your permission.(Hopefully, I won't forget!)I just put a sticky note on my computer!
Lizette: Go ahead. Just got your latest newsletter today. Hope the new format is working out for you.
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Thanks! I think the latest issue worked a bit better than last weeks. Maybe I am getting used to all it's quirks!
So Erby, Were we poisoning ourselves? My dad handed me the mercury out of one (or two or three) and allowed me to play with it by dropping it onto a dime. In fact, we carried mercury dimes, right? What was poisoness about it? Hum...I guess ignorance is bliss. :-) Deb
Erby....I can't believe I'm here laughing at a post on Mercury ....actually it's your sense of humor that is entertaining me :) thanks, and have a good week.....
Debra: Sure, you're nothing but an ignorant little mercury poisoned Texas flower? Right!!! I don't believe it.
Kathy: Humorous, entertaining, AND educational. Now how can you beat that?
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Yikes, we have been in the process to converting to CFBs in the last year. Believe it or not we are still on the same bulbs from when we moved into this house back in 2002.
While stationed in the Navy at Pearl Harbor I was involved with the local kids getting into an old building with bottles of mercury. They took some home and over a weekend played with it with their parents who in turn took some to work on Monday to show around. One report was a child ate some on a potato chip. I guess he thought he was Superman. The military and local HAZMAT teams cordoned off the apartments, tore up the carpeting, etc.
Renee. Just be careful of how you get rid of them and how you clean them up when they break.
Mark. Around here they shut schools down and evacuate the building when a little thermometer breaks. Perhaps that's just a bit of over-reaction. I mean, I know it's a hazard, but geeze, the whole school!
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So, that is what is wrong with me! Playing with mercury, never would have thought about it, but I played with it from time to time. Now, I have other things to worry about, oh goody. Next they are going to tell me my hamburger and deep fried onion rings are bad for me too....What? They are... What the... Man life sucks now!
Erby, Man! what a great post. Thank you for taking so much time to bring this to light. It was well worth the investment of your time for the rest of us.
Blessings,
Erby, I'm knew to this Active Rain thing and I am just exploring my way around right now, but I also remember playing with mercury and bustin bulds and then trying to wave the dust (mercury) cloud away while smashing another one. I hadn't thought about those times 35 years ago until I began reading your post. I must say, I haven't chuckled this much in a while as I read thru your post and comments. I look forward to reading more of your humor. Dave
Todd: Yup, that's what's wrong with you. That and riding in the back of pickups.
Michael: You're welcome.
David: Welcome to Active Rain. Enjoy it It's a great place to learn.