Re: Disposal of old-fluorescent topic

On Sun, 3 Feb 2008 13:04:01 -0500, Lee Ayrton <layrton@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote, perhaps among other things:

>On Sat, 2 Feb 2008, Hactar wrote:
>
>> In article <47A4BE15.B97F7E7C@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
>> Bill Bonde ( 'Hi ho' ) <tributyltinpaint@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>> Sean Houtman wrote:
>>>> Jeff Lanam <jeff-dot-lanam@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in
>>>> news:pjm6q3h9lq3hcq1qg7iulenvcp9tn6k92r@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>>>>> Not in California. Try earth911.org.
>>>>> http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/wpie/fluoreslamps/
>>>>> All fluorescent lamps and tubes are considered hazardous waste in
>>>>> California when they are discarded because they contain mercury.
>>>>
>>>> <snip>
>>>>
>>>> I have never actually discarded a flourescent lamp because it =
contained
>>>> mercury, I have only done so because it had stopped glowing enough =
or
>>>> because it was broken.
>>>>
>>> Apparently most of the Hg is absorbed into the glass by the time the
>>> tube isn't putting out enough light.
>>
>> cite?
>
>http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=3D82926
=
The=20
>abstract talks about determining the amount of mercury needed to achieve=
 a=20
>20,000h lamp life in GE T12 lamps.  The amount of mercury required for=20
>that lamp-life target is greater than the amount needed to simply =
achieve=20
>an electron stream, mercury loss in the form of binding to the soda-lime=
=20
>glass envelope is the problem.
>
>http://www.tacomapower.com/ResidentialServices/faq/lighting.htm
>Tacoma Power says that in the case of compact fluorescent, mercury
loss=20
>is due to binding to the phosphor coating inside the lamp.
>
>http://www.stitzell.com/customer/stelde/customerpages/slumpers.htm
>This electrical supply company says that lamp failure due to mercury=20
>depletion is caused by mercury binding to the glass, the phosphor =
coating=20
>and to other materials inside the envelope.
>
>Most of the elemental mercury recovered from recycling fluorescent tubes=
=20
>is from the phosphor powder.  A typical discussion:=20
>http://www.recyclebulbs.com/index_files/Page954.htm

I'd bet that this is what's behind all of those scare stories we heard
in grade school about the phosphor being poisonous.  "Beware of Broken
=46luorescent Tubes!" we were warned.
--=20

"How 'bout cuttin' that rebop?"
             -- S. Kowalski