What is Mercury?

Are you interested or concerned about the mercury contained within compact fluorescent light bulbs?  Great news, you have nothing to fear as long as you don't eat or suck the fumes out of your broken bulbs, which is true for almost every non-food item you use.

According to energystar.gov There was 500 milligrams in thermometers which is equal to 100 CFLs:
Do CFLs contain mercury? CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing – an average of 5 milligrams – about the amount that would cover the tip of a ballpoint pen. By comparison, older thermometers contain about 500 milligrams of mercury. It would take 100 CFLs to equal that amount. Mercury currently is an essential component of CFLs and is what allows the bulb to be an efficient light source. No mercury is released when the bulbs are intact or in use. Many manufacturers have taken significant steps to reduce mercury used in their fluorescent lighting products. In fact, the average amount of mercury in a CFL is dropping thanks to technology advances and a commitment from members of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association.

Mercury the element, its risks and sources of emission

Mercury is Hg on the periodic table of elements and is found naturally everywhere in the environment. Mercury emissions in the air can come from both natural and man-made sources. Utility power plants (mostly coal) are the primary human source. Mercury naturally exists in coal and when coal burns to make electricity mercury is emitted. Coal-fired power generation accounts for roughly 40% of the mercury emissions in the United States. EPA is implementing policies to reduce airborne mercury emissions. Under regulations issued in 2005, coal-fired power plants will need to reduce their emissions by 70 percent by 2018.

CFLs present an opportunity to prevent mercury emissions from entering the environment because they help to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants. A coal-fired power plant will emit 13.6 milligrams of mercury to produce electricity required to use an incandescent light bulb, compared to 3.3 milligrams for a CFL.

Even in areas without significant coal-fired power generation as part of the electricity mix (e.g., Alaska and the Pacific Northwest), there are other, equally positive environmental impacts from saving energy through the use of CFLs: reduction of nitrogen oxides (which cause smog), and prevention of substantial quantities of CO2, a greenhouse gas (which is linked to global warming), as well as other air pollutants.

Airborne mercury poses a very low risk of exposure. However, when mercury emissions deposit into lakes and oceans, they can transform into methyl mercury that builds up in fish. Fish consumption is the most common pathway for human exposure to mercury. Pregnant women and young children are most vulnerable to the effects of this type of mercury exposure. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that most people are not exposed to harmful levels of mercury through fish consumption. However, the FDA and state agencies do issue public health advisories.

EPA offers additional information and resources on all sources of mercury at www.epa.gov/mercury.

Tuna Sandwich

Seafood also contains mercury. For tuna it looks like it is .353 ppm (parts per million) of mercury for Albacore tuna which is commonly used in tuna fish sandwiches. This presupposes that the average serving of tuna is a 6 oz portion. With the average tuna serving, it would take 85 sandwiches to eat a light bulb. Each 6 oz. serving containing around .058833g of mercury.