...we broke one of those new energy efficient light bulbs. I guess those in the know call them CFLs. Sure, they save money and maybe even the planet someday. But they have 5 milligrams of mercury in them, too.
My husband placed the bulb on our island counter, walked away, and the bulb rolled off. Shattered on the floor, right in front of the island's shelving that included pictures, photo albums and about 57 pinch pots from my kids' elementary school art classes.
It took me a minute to realize the gravity of the situation. First, my eldest sprinted out of the room. (Thanks to a metal shop he's taking in school, he's very savvy about toxins.) While my husband started cleaning up the mess, I made my way to the computer.
"What to Do if a Fluorescent Light Bulb Breaks" is not light reading. For real, you need to ventilate and leave the room for 15 minutes. Holy crap. Then there's detailed instructions on how to clean hard surfaces and rugs then properly dispose of all the clean-up materials. Authored by the EPA. We even checked in with poison control, and yes, she confirmed, follow the EPA directions.
Man, this was not my idea of a Saturday morning leisurely french toast breakfast.
Nearly 45 minutes later, hazmat clean-up was done. And, for the record, I'm living in the dark as much as possible to stretch out the life of our OTHER bulbs, the ones that are safe enough to eat.
