How to Properly Clean Up a Broken Fluorescent Lamp, According to the EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updated its existing guidance document on how to properly clean up a broken fluorescent lamp. The updated document also includes recommended precautions in schools to prevent exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that are found in older fluorescent light fixtures.

Fluorescent lamps contain a small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tube. When a fluorescent lamp breaks, some of the mercury is released as vapor and may pose a potential health risk. According to the updated EPA guidance document, the following are steps that should be taken to clean up a broken fluorescent lamp:

Before Cleanup

• Evacuate the area for a minimum of 5‐10 minutes

• If possible, open an exterior window or door

• Shut off the HVAC (heating and air conditioning) system to prevent air circulation into other areas or rooms

• Gather materials that will be need to clean up the broken bulb, including:
– Stiff paper or cardboard
– Sticky tape (e.g., duct tape)
– Damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes (for hard surfaces)
– Puncture proof container (e.g., glass jar with a metal lid)

Cleanup Steps

• Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard. Place glass fragments and paper/cardboard in a puncture proof container. Make sure the container is kept closed whenever possible.

• Use sticky tape to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder. Place the used tape in the puncture proof container.

• Wipe the area clean with a damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels in the puncture proof container.

• Vacuuming of surfaces is not recommended. Vacuuming could spread mercury containing powder or vapor. However, if vacuuming is needed to ensure removal of broken glass, keep the following tips in mind:

– Keep a window or door to the outdoors open

– Vacuum the area where the bulb was broken using the vacuum hose

– Place vacuum bag in a plastic sealable bag or the puncture proof container

– For bagless vacuums, place vacuumed debris and materials used to clean the bagless canister in a plastic sealable bag or the puncture proof container

• Label the puncture proof container and/or plastic bag “Universal Waste”, date the container(s), place container(s) in a designated waste storage area, and dispose the waste as Universal Waste in accordance with waste disposal regulations and laws.

• Wash hands with soap and water

• Continue to air out the area and leave the HVAC system off for several hours

Note: If the incident happened on a carpet or rug, the next several times you vacuum the carpet or rug, shut off the HVAC system, close the doors leading to other rooms, open a window or door to the outside, and change and dispose of the vacuum bag as detailed above.

PCBs Exposure in Schools

The EPA released guidance recommending that schools take steps to reduce potential exposures to PCBs from older fluorescent light fixtures. The guidance is based on evidence that the older ballasts contain PCBs that can leak when the ballasts fail, leading to elevated levels of PCBs in the air.

PCBs are man-made chemicals that persist in the environment and were widely used in construction materials and electrical products prior to 1978. PCBs can affect the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system and endocrine system and are potentially cancer causing if they build up in the body over long periods of time.

Until the late 1970s, PCBs were commonly used as insulators in electrical equipment because they have a high tolerance for heat, do not easily burn, and are non-explosive. EPA banned the processing and distribution in commerce of PCBs in 1979 pursuant to the Toxic Substances Control Act due to their toxic effects. However, uses of older PCB-containing ballasts were allowed to continue, provided that the ballasts had not failed and the PCBs were not leaking.

EPA said it believes many schools built in the United States before 1979 have ballasts containing PCBs. A recent pilot study of three schools in New York City found that many ballasts contained PCBs and had also failed, causing the PCBs to leak and contribute to increased levels in the air that school children breathe.

Given their widespread use before they were banned, if a school was built before 1979 or has not had a complete lighting retrofit since 1979, the fluorescent light ballasts probably contain PCBs. Although intact, functioning ballasts do not pose a health threat, these lighting ballasts will all fail in time. For that reason, EPA recommends older PCB-containing lighting ballasts be removed, whether as part of a previously scheduled lighting retrofit program or a stand-alone project.

Schools that have older ballasts should examine them to see if they have failed or if PCB leaks are present. If a ballast is leaking PCBs, federal law requires the immediate removal and disposal of the PCB-containing ballasts and disposal of any PCB-contaminated materials at an EPA-approved facility.

To prevent exposure if leaking ballasts are discovered, school personnel should wear protective clothing, including chemically resistant gloves, boots, and disposable overalls while surveying the ballasts. Replacement of leaking ballasts should be performed in a well-ventilated area, or supplemental ventilation or respiratory protection should be provided to reduce the potential for breathing in fumes.

Total Environmental & Safety, LLC can assist with all your waste management needs, including developing and implementing a Fluorescent Lamp and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Management Programs.