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Re: Inhaled Dust from Broken Fluorescent Bulbs

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Clive Mitchell

Jan 1, 1970
0
In message said:
Sort of a non-technical question here, if you will indulge me ! At
work recently, my boss had me shatter several burned out fluorescent
lamp tubes with a hammer in order to fit them into the disposal box. A
cloud of dust from the broken bulbs formed as I was working. I think I
inhaled some of it. Some of the bulbs broke with a loud pop, some just
broke gently.

These were long thin bulbs, about 4 or 5 feet long, approx 1.5 inches
diameter, used in the ceiling.

Now I'm wondering what stuff I inhaled ! Maybe I should have said no
to the assignment, but too late now.

You inhaled mercury vapour and phosphor dust. The machines that are
used for proper crushing of fluorescent tubes spray them with water as
they crush them to keep the dust down.

Breaking them manually is not a recommended practise.

You shouldn't suffer any adverse effects from this exposure, but don't
do it on a regular basis.
 
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Ioannis

Jan 1, 1970
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Ï "lightnessofbeing said:
Clive Mitchell wrote :

Thanks for the reply.Well, I hope mercury vapor is not as bad for you
as liquid mercury.

It's like kind the opposite: Mercury _vapor_ is much more poisonous than
liquid mercury.
Obviously mercury poisioning can occur if one
ingests too much liquid mercury.

Again, here opinions differ: I've had metalic mercury ingested myself and
had no harm done, except to develop kidney stones, but I am not sure the
stones came from the mercury. In the middle ages, people were swallowing
glassfulls of metalic mercury to help them cure Syphilis.

On the other hand, poisoning from mercury vapor can be deadly. American mine
workers excavating Cinnabar died frequently from such poisoning. You can
search the net for details.
 
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Andrew Gabriel

Jan 1, 1970
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Again, here opinions differ: I've had metalic mercury ingested myself and
had no harm done, except to develop kidney stones, but I am not sure the
stones came from the mercury. In the middle ages, people were swallowing
glassfulls of metalic mercury to help them cure Syphilis.

For the nearly 200 years, people have used silver/mercury amalgam
for tooth fillings, and it's horribly unstable -- after about 10
years, the mercury has mostly all gone from the filling material.
One of the significant sources of mercury polution into the environmant
is crematorium chimneys -- an average of 3 grams per person.
Removing fillings first makes little difference as the mercury
has mostly dispersed through the body by then.
On the other hand, poisoning from mercury vapor can be deadly. American mine
workers excavating Cinnabar died frequently from such poisoning. You can
search the net for details.

I suspect the exposure time is more important than the contact and
absorbtion method. Those miners are exposed all day to mercury
vapour. Mercury can also absorbed through the skin -- if the was
some situation where someone was handling liquid mercury all day,
I suspect the same would happen via skin absobtion.
 
V

Victor Roberts

Jan 1, 1970
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Clive Mitchell wrote :

Thanks for the reply.Well, I hope mercury vapor is not as bad for you
as liquid mercury. Obviously mercury poisioning can occur if one
ingests too much liquid mercury. As for phosphor dust, I hope it is
being expelled from my lungs with the coughing up of phlegm I've been
doing lately.

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

Mercury vapor is much more toxic than liquid mercury.

--
Vic Roberts
http://www.RobertsResearchInc.com
To reply via e-mail:
replace xxx with vdr in the Reply to: address
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It may not be used in any publication or posted on any Web
site without written permission.
 
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Clive Mitchell

Jan 1, 1970
0
In message said:
Assuming I've absorbed mercury vapor into my lungs, what happens next?
Does the mercury dissipate through urine or feces? Does it linger in my
lung tissue slowly poisoning me ? Does it end up in my bloodstream,
settling here and there in various organs ? Perhaps this is not the
newsgroup to ask, but perhaps someone here does know.

It should pass in your faeces. You'll know when it has done so by the
loud thud noise as a silver coloured turd displaces the water in your
toilet in a forceful manner.

I'm only kidding. You really haven't been exposed to much vapour.
Don't worry about it, but do take precautions like working outdoors if
you have to do this again. A few of the responses to your original
enquiry were quite alarmist, but your exposure was low. If you were
smashing tubes every day, then that would be an issue.
 
D

Don Klipstein

Jan 1, 1970
0
video said:
Hatters used liquid mercury in their trade. Over time the absorption
of mercury through the skin affected their nervous system, giving rise
to the phrase, "mad as a hatter."

Actually, I remember hearing that hatters went mad not so much from
liquid mercury as from a mercury compound - the chloride if my memory is
not failing me at this moment.

- Don Klipstein ([email protected])
 
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David Lee

Jan 1, 1970
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Clive Mitchell wrote...
It should pass in your faeces. You'll know when it has done so by the
loud thud noise as a silver coloured turd displaces the water in your
toilet in a forceful manner.

Actually there is a bit of a problem there. Mercury is a very heavy liquid
and can defeat the peristalsis of your bowels and can get trapped in folds
in your intestines for a long time!

However mercury is a cumulative poison and whilst the effects of continued
exposure are devastating to the nervous system a single short exposure to a
small quantity is not likely to have caused much harm. As someone else has
already said, though, don't do it again!

David
 
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