Editing Compact fluorescent lamp (section)

=== Mercury content ===
[[File:Mercury emissions by light source EPA 2008.svg|thumb|upright|Net mercury emissions for CFL and incandescent lamps, based on EPA FAQ sheet, assuming average U.S. emission of 0.012 mg of mercury per kilowatt-hour and 14% of CFL mercury contents escapes to environment after land fill disposal]]
CFLs, like all [[fluorescent lamp]]s, contain [[Mercury (element)|mercury]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.informinc.org/fact_P3NJlampcontract.php |title=Mercury Content Information Available for Lamps on the 2003 New Jersey Contract T-0192 |access-date=2007-05-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051230010537/http://www.informinc.org/fact_P3NJlampcontract.php |archive-date=2005-12-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ccme.ca/assets/pdf/merc_lamp_standard_e.pdf |title=Canada-Wide Standard for Mercury-Containing Lamps |access-date=2007-03-23 |date=2001 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060812071611/http://www.ccme.ca/assets/pdf/merc_lamp_standard_e.pdf |archive-date=August 12, 2006}}</ref> as vapor inside the glass tubing. Most CFLs contain 3–5&nbsp;mg per bulb, with the bulbs labeled "eco-friendly" containing as little as 1&nbsp;mg.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf |title=Frequently Asked Questions Information on Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) and Mercury June 2008 |access-date=2008-08-31 |date=2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Mercury in Fluorescent Lamps |url=http://www.efi.org/factoids/mercury.html |publisher=Energy Federation Incorporated |work=FAQ |access-date=2009-07-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090810203903/http://www.efi.org/factoids/mercury.html |archive-date=2009-08-10}}</ref> Because [[Mercury poisoning|mercury is poisonous]], even these small amounts are a concern for [[landfill]]s and waste [[incinerator]]s where the mercury from lamps may be released and contribute to air and water [[pollution]]. In the U.S., lighting manufacturer members of the [[National Electrical Manufacturers Association]] (NEMA) have voluntarily capped the amount of mercury used in CFLs.<ref name=NEMAHgCap>{{cite web |url=http://www.nema.org/media/pr/20070313a.cfm |title=NEMA Lamp Companies Announce Commitment to Cap CFL Mercury Content |access-date=2007-03-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715223143/http://nema.org/media/pr/20070313a.cfm |archive-date=July 15, 2007}}</ref> In the EU the same cap is required by the [[RoHS]] law.

In areas where electric power is mostly generated in coal-fired stations, replacing incandescent bulbs by CFLs actually reduces mercury emissions. This is because the reduced electric power demand, reducing in turn the amount of mercury released by coal as it is burned, more than offsets the amount of mercury released from broken and discarded CFL bulbs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf|title=Frequently Asked Questions, Information on Proper Disposal of Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)|access-date=2007-03-19}}</ref> In July 2008 the U.S. EPA published a data sheet stating that the net system emission of mercury for CFL lighting was lower than for incandescent lighting of comparable lumen output. This was based on the average rate of mercury emission for U.S. electricity production and average estimated escape of mercury from a CFL put into a landfill.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf |title=''Frequently Asked Questions Information on Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) and Mercury July 2008'', accessed 2009 Dec 22 |access-date=2012-07-15}}</ref> Coal-fired plants also emit other heavy metals, sulfur, and carbon dioxide.

In the United States, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated that if all 270&nbsp;million CFLs sold in 2007 were sent to landfill sites, around 0.13 metric tons of mercury would be released, 0.1% of all U.S. emissions of mercury (around 104 metric tons that year).<ref name="hgsheet">{{cite web|website=energystar.gov|url=https://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/fact_sheet_mercury.pdf|title=Frequently Asked Questions: Information on Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) and Mercury|quote=What are the mercury emissions caused by humans? Do CFLS that wind up in a landfill contribute to these emissions?|date=November 2010|access-date=2017-03-23}}</ref>
The graph assumes that CFLs last an average of 8,000 hours regardless of manufacturer and premature breakage. In areas where coal is not used to produce energy, the emissions would be less for both types of bulb.<ref name="hgsheet" /><!-- Surprise: same thing -->

Special handling instructions for breakage are not printed on the packaging of household CFL bulbs in many countries. The amount of mercury released by one bulb can temporarily exceed U.S. federal guidelines for chronic exposure.<ref>{{ cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/02/26/mercury_leaks_found_as_new_bulbs_break/?page=1 |title=Mercury leaks found as new bulbs break |work=The Boston Globe |last=Daley |first=Beth |date=February 26, 2008 |access-date=2009-03-07}}</ref><ref name="maine.gov">{{cite web |url=http://maine.gov/dep/rwm/homeowner/cflreport.htm |title=Maine Compact Fluorescent Lamp Breakage Study Report |date=February 2008 |access-date=2009-03-07 |publisher=State of Maine, Dept of Environmental Protection}}</ref> ''Chronic'', however, implies exposure for a significant time, and it remains unclear what the health risks are from short-term exposure to low levels of elemental mercury.<ref name="maine.gov" /> Despite following EPA best-practice clean-up guidelines on broken CFLs, researchers were unable to remove mercury from carpet, and agitation of the carpet&nbsp;— such as by young children playing&nbsp;— created localized concentrations as high as 0.025&nbsp;mg/m<sup>3</sup> in air close to the carpet, even weeks after the initial breakage.<ref name="maine.gov" />

The [[U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]] (EPA) has published best practices for cleanup of broken CFLs, and ways to avoid breakage, on its web site.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.epa.gov/cfl/cleaning-broken-cfl |title=Cleaning Up a Broken CFL |date=6 June 2013 |access-date=18 June 2013 |publisher=[[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] |archive-date=7 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207223532/https://www.epa.gov/cfl/cleaning-broken-cfl |url-status=dead }}</ref> It recommends airing out the room and carefully disposing of broken pieces in a jar. A Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) study of 2008 comparing clean-up methods warns that using plastic bags to store broken CFL bulbs is dangerous, because vapors well above safe levels continue to leak from the bags. The EPA and the Maine DEP recommend a sealed glass jar as the best repository for a broken bulb.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/homeowner/cflreport.htm |title= Maine Compact Fluorescent Light Breakage Study Report |date=February 2008 |access-date=2011-07-18 |publisher= Maine Department of Environmental Protection}}</ref>

Since the end of 2018, the export, import and manufacture of CFLs within the European Union has been prohibited under the EU Mercury Regulation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bmuv.de/en/pressrelease/progressive-ban-on-mercury-containing-products |title= Progressive ban on mercury-containing products |date=January 2018 |access-date=2022-10-08 |publisher= bmuv }}</ref>