PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-693
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 693
AUGUST 2010
53
PS 693
AUG 10
1.
Fluorescent lamps are classif
ed hazardous or non-
hazardous waste depending on:
•
the amount o± mercury in the lamp
•
how many lamps you’re disposing o±
•
±ederal, state and local environmental regulations
2.
Don’t be le±t in the dark. Be±ore you dispose o± any
fl
uorescent lamp, talk with your unit’s
HAZMAT
ofF
cer or NCO.
He can f
ll you in on environmental
regs. He can also identi±y low-mercury lamps. And
he can determine which lamps should be recycled,
handled as hazardous waste or put in a bin as common
trash.
Out of the Dark,
Into the
(Fluorescent)
Light
HAZMAT…
Out of the Dark,
Into the (Fluorescent) Light
hey, buddy.
You’re pretty
casual about
tossing away
burned-out
fluorescent
lamps.
good grief!
A talking
lamp! I need
r&r.
yeah. how do
you know we’re
not hazardous
waste?
I don’t
know?
then it’s
time you
learned.
ya see, each
fluorescent lamp
contains mercury.
add up all the
fluorescent
lamps you
dispose of
in a year and
that’s a
lot of
mercury.
enough to be
considered
hazardous waste.
if you toss all of us out like common
trash, we’ll get dumped in a landfill.
our mercury can leach into the
ground, poisoning soil and water.
now that’s a serious environmental
hazard. mercury exposure can lead to
permanent nerve and kidney damage.
you don’t
have kidneys.
I got a
mouth,
though.
and you
don’t have
nerves.
but I got
eyes. and I
think I got
eyebrows.
those
are nose
hairs.
just to make
things more
confusing,
here’s another
tidbit of
info: these
days, several
companies make
fluorescent
lamps with
low levels of
mercury.
how can I tell if I
have a low-mercury
fluorescent lamp?
good question!
low-mercury lamps
have green tips or
green lettering.
it’s so confusing. high
and low levels of
mercury. hazardous
and non-hazardous
waste. to trash or
not to trash. I’m
still in the dark.
allow me to shed some
light on all of this.
there are two main
points to remember
about handling used
fluorescent lamps…
now I’ve got
me an advanced
education in
fluorescent
lamp disposal.
I do too have eyebrows! next
time, I’m telling the artist to
give me arms and legs.
..
that’ll
be the
day.
…and wavy
blonde hair,
like connie’s.
they’re usually
considered
non-hazardous
waste for the
purpose of
disposal.
Low-mercury lamps have
green tips or green lettering
(Fluorescent)
693.52-53.indd
1-2
6/25/10
3:04:36 PM
Click here for a copy of this article to save or email.
Back to TopBack to Top
