Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkM66
Can you cite that story?
Not saying you're making it up, but as an employee of the largest haz-waste company in North America, I find that price to be astronomical. 
A $30 clean up kit, and a trip to the local household haz-waste collection would of took care of it. 
Even if you were crazy enough to hired it out, I don't see it going over a grand. Trans, labor, disposal, etc. |
+1 here at the hospital there is still mercury in use. The kits we use have a chemical you sprinkle on the mercury then sweep it up. The kit has gloves, goggles, broom and dustpan as well as a bag to put the stuff in after you clean it up. The EPA site has great info on mercury and CFL disposal.
Mercury Releases and Spills | Mercury | US EPA
The local home depot has a collection bin for CFL lamps for recycling. The ROI for converting to LED for me would be quite a long time... my energy provider shipped me like 25 CFL bulbs when I started service with them. I already had a supply of CFLs and the house already had a few CFLs... All the incondesant lights I traded for CFLs other people didn't want... so I have enough to last me for a long time... and if I did go LED that is a lot of lights I would have to replace... The cost would be hundreds of dollars... I would also basically have to throw away a decades supply of CFLs.
Although I might dab in to LEDs eventually it would be for specific lights. Such as the porch light I keep on at night for security... Right now I have a 23W CFL in it if I can find an LED that is just as bright for 12W or something there could be a small savings...but again there are other places in the house to improve on in order to lower the energy bill.
After googling about the story the closest thing I could find was a mother used a vacuum to clean up mercury after breaking a thermometer. The story was pulled but here is the text from google's cache...
Mercury scare after mum breaks old thermometer (From The Bolton News)
Quote:
Mercury scare after mum breaks old thermometer
.8:55am Thursday 30th August 2012 in Local .
A MUM triggered a huge emergency response — after she dropped and broke a household thermometer.
Specialist hazard containment teams were scrambled to the house in Longfield Road, Daubhill, while the woman and her three-month-old daughter were rushed to hospital.
The incident was triggered when she accidentally broke an old fashioned mercury-filled thermometer in the kitchen.
The 36-year-old mum, who asked not to be named, dropped the thermometer at lunchtime on Tuesday and used a vacuum cleaner to clear up the mess, before putting it in a bag and inside a wheelie bin.
When her 48-year-old husband returned home at 6.30pm, he called the emergency services after researching the subject on the internet.
He said: “There must have been 30 people from the different services here. I was very worried until the doctor said they would be okay.
“My wife was cleaning the house when she dropped it and had no idea how dangerous the substance was inside.
“I had no idea it would be such a serious incident until I looked it up on the internet.”
Firefighters wearing masks and heavy-duty protective gloves checked the house to make sure it was not contaminated with mercury vapour released from the vacuum cleaner.
........They removed the vacuum and some contaminated clothes before putting them in the wheelie bin.
The mother and baby were both taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital by ambulance for a precautionary check-up but were given the all clear. Firefighters stayed at the scene for three-and-a-half hours until tests showed the presence of mercury in the house was at a safe level.
Hazardous materials expert Jim Collins, from the fire service, said: “Mercury is a poison, and may be harmful to your health if you inhale it or absorb it through your skin. If you spill a small amount of mercury from a thermometer in your home, leave the room, close the door and contact the emergency services.
“Do not touch or walk through the spilled material. Do not touch the damaged container. Try to avoid doing anything that will spread the contaminant around your home, such as vacuuming the area, and wait for the emergency services to arrive.”
Bolton Council ’s environmental services department was due to remove the wheelie bin yesterday.
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