Fluorescent lamps release an estimated one ton of mercury into the air each year in the US alone, and transportation of used lamps may be a significant source of emissions. According to estimates derived from modeling, four percent of mercury air emissions from all products were from fluorescent lamps in 2005—with higher mercury emissions taking place during waste lamp transport than during disposal processes. (1) Measurements of mercury emissions from dumpsters and from transfer station activities support the evidence that transportation of used lamps results in significant mercury vapor emissions. (2)
According to these findings, many used lamps are broken en route to recycling facilities, negating environmental efforts before the lamps even arrive at their final destination. To prevent the release of mercury vapor during the often-rough treks to recycling facilities, lamps should also be transported in packages proven to contain mercury vapor.
Read our previous posts in this series on how to handle and store used fluorescent lamps, and find out next week how to recycle them.
References
1. Cain, A.; Disch, S.; Twaroski, C.; Reindl, J.; Case, C.R. Substance Flow
Analysis of Mercury Intentionally Used in Products in the United States; J. Ind. Ecol. 2007, 11, 61-75.
2. Price, J.; Reinhart, D.; Sfeir, H. Airborne Emissions of Mercury from Municipal Solid Waste. II: Potential Losses of Airborne Mercury before Landfill; J. Air & Waste Manage. Assoc. 2005, 55, 870-877.
Brad Buscher
Chairman and CEO
VaporLok Products LLC
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