Also on this page: Which bulbs contain mercury? Why is it important to clean up a broken CFL properly? Actions you can take to prevent broken CFLs What if I can't follow all the recommended steps? or I cleaned up a CFL but didn't do it properly? Information from other sources relating to the accidental breakage of CFLs Download and print instructions If you have further questions, please call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. Have people and pets leave the room, and avoid the breakage area on the way out. Open a window or door to the outdoors and leave the room for 5-10 minutes. Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning (HVAC) system, if you have one. Collect materials you will need to clean up the broken bulb: Stiff paper or cardboard Sticky tape (e.g., duct tape) Damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes (for hard surfaces) Glass jar with a metal lid (such as a canning jar) or a sealable plastic bag(s)

Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place debris and paper/cardboard in a glass jar with a metal lid. If a glass jar is not available, use a sealable plastic bag. (NOTE: Since a plastic bag will not prevent the mercury vapor from escaping, remove the plastic bag(s) from the home after cleanup.) Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder. Place the used tape in the glass jar or plastic bag. Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels in the glass jar or plastic bag. Vacuuming of hard surfaces during cleanup is not recommended unless broken glass remains after all other cleanup steps have been taken. [NOTE: It is possible that vacuuming could spread mercury-containing powder or mercury vapor, although available information on this problem is limited.] If vacuuming is needed to ensure removal of all 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, if available; Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister) and seal the bag/vacuum debris, and any materials used to clean the vacuum, in a plastic bag. Promptly place all bulb debris and cleanup materials, including vacuum cleaner bags, outdoors in a trash container or protected area until materials can be disposed of.  Avoid leaving any bulb fragments or cleanup materials indoors. Next, check with your local government about disposal requirements in your area, because some localities require fluorescent bulbs (broken or unbroken) be taken to a local recycling center. If there is no such requirement in your area, you can dispose of the materials with your household trash. Wash your hands with soap and water after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing bulb debris and cleanup materials. Continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the

If a glass jar is not available, use a sealable plastic bag. best vacuum cleaner consumer reports 2011 Vacuuming of carpeting or rugs during cleanup is not recommended unless broken glass remains after all other cleanup steps have been taken. vacuum cleaner belt dirt devil Vacuum the area where the bulb was broken using the vacuum hose, if available, andvacuum cleaners houston tx Continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the HVAC system shut off, as practical, for several hours. The next several times you vacuum the rug or carpet, shut off the HVAC system if you have one, close the doors to other rooms, and open a window or door to the outside before vacuuming. Change the vacuum bag after each use in this area.

After vacuuming is completed, keep the HVAC system shut off and the window or door to the outside open, as practical, for several hours. You should follow the recommendations on this page if you've broken either a CFL or another type of mercury-containing light bulb, such as: CFLs and the other light bulbs listed above contain a small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing. When a bulb breaks in your home, some of this mercury may be released as mercury vapor. To minimize exposure to mercury vapor, EPA recommends that residents follow the cleanup and disposal steps described on this page. Learn more about the connections between CFLs and mercury.the steps outlined below are only precautions that reflect best practices for cleaning up a broken CFL. Keep in mind that CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury -- less than 1/100th of the amount in a mercury thermometer. However, if you are concerned about your health after cleaning up a broken CFL, consult your local poison control center by calling 1-800-222-1222.

You can call your center any time you have questions or in an emergency. You can also consult your physician about potential health effects from mercury exposures. The following links exit the site ExitEven after the gold fever died down, gold itself was in the air in San Francisco—as long as you knew where to look. That place would be in the San Francisco Mint. In a majestic granite and sandstone building downtown, bullion was turned into gold coins—as well as lots and lots of gold dust. A fascinating 1893 newspaper tour of the San Francisco Mint—spotted by historian Yoni Appelbaum spotted on Twitter—takes us into the workrooms where men cut gold into strips and the adjusting rooms where ladies filed coins down to just the right size. Millions in precious metal passed through these rooms every year, and none of it went to waste, recovered, instead, through "seemingly small economies." This included setting fire to the carpets to find any gold dust trapped within: The floors of the workrooms are covered with perforated iron flooring in small sections.

Every night these sections are removed and the floor swept. The sweepings are then worked over with acid, and the yield in gold and silver amounts to $6,000 per annum. Once a year every truck about the building is burned, irrespective of its condition, and also the clothing worn in some of the workrooms, that not a particle of the previous metals may be lost. Once in four years the carpets of the adjusting room are burned. The last burning enriched the United States coffers to the extent of $3,200.That's $3,200 in 1892 dollars, mind you. The article doesn't mention how many ounces of gold were recovered from the carpets, but a 1886 annual report by the director of the mint notes 171.672 standard ounces in that year's burning. At today's gold prices and in today's dollars, that over $200,000. Gold coins are pretty much collector's items rather than real currency now, but gold dust is still every bit as valuable. Today, jewelers will recover the tiny bits of gold from polishing dust, too.