No. 104 - Miljøstyrelsen

1 Introduction
1.1 Purpose and contents
Fluorescent lamps are among the most efficient solutions available today to
improve energy efficiency for home lighting (Wesnæs et al, 2009). Compact
fluorescent lamps and straight fluorescent lamps contain, however, small
quantities of mercury – and mercury is hazardous to human and the
environment.
The purpose of this project is to study whether there is a health risk associated
with compact fluorescent lamps or straight fluorescent lamps that accidentally
break in private homes.
The study covers a survey of:
� types of compact and straight fluorescent lamps on the Danish market
for private use, and
� quantities of mercury and mercury compounds in these fluorescent
lamps.
Furthermore a risk assessment (exposure and health assessment) has been
made of mercury releases from broken fluorescent lamps.
The project has been carried out with limited means and in a short period of
time. Therefore it does not give a detailed study of all relevant aspects relating
to compact fluorescent lamps/straight fluorescent lamps.
1.2 How do compact fluorescent lamps and straight fluorescent
lamps work?
Compact fluorescent lamps and straight fluorescent lamps consist of one or
more bent or straight glass tubes with an electrode at each end. A compact
fluorescent lamp is merely a more compact kind of a straight fluorescent
lamp, where the tube has been integrated with the electrodes needed to start
and stabilise the electric current through the tube.
According to information received from manufacturers of compact and
straight fluorescent lamps, lamps contain mercury either in the form of a
HgFe tablet, amalgam 1 or as metallic mercury. Mercury is added with
different dosage technologies in which the mercury is encapsulated in a tablet,
a pill or as amalgam, or it is dosed as liquid mercury.
Mercury in solid or liquid form is in equilibrium with vapour-phase mercury.
Therefore, a small amount of vapour-phase mercury will be present in the
lamp. In order for the lamp to work there must be a balance between the
solid-phase and the vapour-phase mercury so that the atmosphere in the glass
tube is saturated with mercury vapour. The glass tube/the container in a
1 Amalgam is a mercury alloy. An alloy is composed of one or more elements of which
at least one of the elements is a metal. (Den Store Danske, 2009).
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