Mercury is a metal element. And it is the only metal element that is in liquid form in room temperature. And it would be great fun to play with Mercury if it not poisonous.
One of a natural property of Mercury is that it easily absorbed into fat. Fish, particularly fatty fish like Tuna, tends to contain mercury, largely as a result of mercury contamination in the environment from coal industry. The higher the fat content, the higher the mercury level.
Compact fluorescent bulb use Mercury vapor as they saves huge amount of electricity compare to the older generation of lighting that uses tungsten filament incandescent bulb. This is where mercury start to be widely used.
Though mercury have help us saving on electrical energy on lighting but there are one thing that worries people. Practically all lighting devices that we use today contain a small amount of mercury in vapor form. In principal, we should not throw these bulbs/tubes together with our household trash. It should be taken to a special recycling center for a proper treatment however in reality even if we are aware, but there is no such center available locally.
Over the time, the mercury that was and continue to get released into the environment is like no one care. Do anyone have done any study and calculate what is the impact?
Mercury poisoning is caused by exposing to mercury or its compounds. The toxic effects include damage to the brain, kidney and lungs. Mercury poisoning can also result in several diseases (acrodynia, Hunter-Russell syndrome and Minamata disease). Symptoms are sensory impairment (vision, hearing, speech), disturbed sensation and lack of coordination.
Fluorescent tube/bulb contain mercury vapor. When broken indoor, it may emit sufficient mercury vapor to present a health concern. US Environmental Protection Agency recommends evacuation and airing out a room for at least 15min after breaking of fluorescent tube/bulb.
If you would like to make a change for the better of our environment, you can read by clicking HERE for actual LED Lighting that is compared with our Fluorescent Tube.
