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Harmful Effects of Mercury in Full Spectrum Lighting

Full spectrum lighting is designed to simulate natural light, including ultraviolet radiation. This type of lighting might have a number of beneficial health effects, although what constitutes "full spectrum lighting" varies between companies. CFLs, or bulbs that use mercury vapor, are also available as "full spectrum lighting." However, this mercury vapor is hazardous, and broken bulbs can pose health risks.

  1. CFLs

    • CFL is an acronym for Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs. These bulbs are desirable because they are far more energy-efficient than traditional, incandescent bulbs. However, mercury is essential for a CFL to produce light, and mercury is also well-known for causing a number of serious health hazards. CFL bulbs contain mercury as a powder, which means that it is possible to inhale the mercury from a broken CFL bulb. CFL bulbs also require special precautions for cleanup in the case of a broken bulb and disposal due to the mercury within the bulb.

    Mercury Poisoning

    • Mercury can have serious health risks when inhaled. Most alarming of these are the neural effects. Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin, and can interfere with the functioning of the nerves and brain. Among the symptoms of mercury poisoning are tremors, emotional changes, neuromuscular changes, cognitive deficits, headaches and memory loss. Small amounts can have harmful effects. In a household, children and pets are most vulnerable to damage from a broken CFL bulb. However, women who show no signs of mercury poisoning have had children who have severe disabilities due to mercury in their mother's body.

    Environmental Effects

    • CFL bulbs can break in landfills, leaching mercury into the soil. While disposing of CFL bulbs into the trash is illegal in many places, this does not stop people from throwing away bulbs, as taking the bulbs to a hazardous-waste collector can be extremely inconvenient. Mercury is toxic for animals as well as humans, and you can find harmful effects of mercury in the environment. For instance, ducks exposed to mercury may lay abnormal eggs or display abnormal egg-laying behavior, and their ducklings may also show abnormal behavior.

    Overall Health Risks

    • Most advocates of CFL bulbs explain that a broken CFL bulb should not be cause for alarm. A typical CFL bulb contains 4-5 milligrams of mercury, compared to a traditional mercury thermometer, which contains 500 milligrams. This amount is very small, and if dealt with quickly and with the proper procedures, poses little risk to health. Using gloves and good ventilation help minimize risks while cleaning up a broken bulb. However, mercury is very dangerous, and taking extra precautions with any bulb containing mercury is a good idea.

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