dr.gt
Sep 28 2008, 12:41 AM
recentlyi have heard about houshold cfl's having about the same amount of mercury in them as a thermometer, which has detered me slightly from using them for my next grow. this leads me to belive if a cfl pops over your crops it would probably be a good idea to discard said crop due to contamination, i don't knoe about you but i don't think it woud be a v good idea to smoke weed with a hint of mercury.
do you know anything about this, possibly using acrilic or glass to protect those presious buds from any mishaps. or could ice washing (bubble bags etc) help get rid of any chemical contamination should the worst happen
dr.gt
Cory-and-Trevor
Sep 28 2008, 02:06 AM
never heard of them popping
they're actually touchable when running
did u know?
don think they'll pop all of sudden
Noid
Sep 28 2008, 02:08 AM
It's been my experience that when they 'pop'.... or go out, that they do just that... go out. I have accidently busted one once due to handling while it was still warm, it had some white powder in it..... so I laced me up a J

and let'er rip.... okay so no, I'd never do that.....
Point is, I don't think you have anything to worry about... unless of course you break one over your buds and start shaking it about trying to sprinkle the goodness around... hehe.... just be careful, don't handle 'em when they're warm.
G'luck mate
peps1
Sep 28 2008, 02:16 AM
The mercury in CFLs is elemental (or metallic) mercury. so if you brake a bulb the mercury is released in the form of vapor (and only 3-5milligrams at that.)
would take a extractor fan only a couple of mins to extract the airborne elemental mercury from you grow space.
in conclusion......chill
dr.gt
Sep 28 2008, 02:51 AM
ah, your starting to put my mind at ease. i have accidentally broke a household one when changin it, but i have heard of them poping for no apparent reason rather than just burning out. i'd be interested to know what (micron) size the dust particals contained in cfl's actually are... you know, if it does happen and i have a shitload of white dut on my buds:(
madhatta81
Sep 28 2008, 05:24 AM
i dont know how much this will help, quoted it from...
http://www.gelighting.com/na/home_lighting...q_compact.htm...
"What should I do if a CFL breaks?
Because there is such a small amount of mercury in CFLs, your greatest risk if a bulb breaks is getting cut from glass shards. Research indicates that there is no immediate health risk to you or your family should a bulb break and it's cleaned up properly. You can minimize any risks by following these proper clean-up and disposal guidelines:
Sweep up—don't vacuum—all of the glass fragments and fine particles.
Place broken pieces in a sealed plastic bag and wipe the area with a damp paper towel to pick up any stray shards of glass or fine particles. Put the used towel in the plastic bag as well.
If weather permits, open windows to allow the room to ventilate."
ano1987
Sep 28 2008, 06:20 AM
i have broken 1 before and no powdery substance went any where it just stank real bad and weird,
m2jlv
Dec 22 2008, 01:00 PM
Hey man if your cfl breaks dont hoover it up as it will blow the shit all over the place,,,cfl do have a small amount of mercury in them they all do,ive heard its between 2-4mg
best thing to do if ya get a broken bulb is use duct tape to pick up the dust and small glass fragments,,i would bin the bud if it had that powder on it just to be on the safe side
m2jlv
m2jlv
Dec 22 2008, 01:12 PM
just had email from growking who make cfls and this is what they said:
the dangers to you are very minimal,just do as you would if any flouresent bulb broke.try not to breathe it in directly and immediately hoover up and bin and bag the broken glass.your probably get more mercury from eating fishthan being near a broken cfl
roll on the nanny sate
str8 up thats what they said
m2jlv
vince noir rock n roll star
Jan 4 2009, 06:33 PM
i had one pop last year ...scared the beejeebus out of me ..it was just as i opened the grow box up ..didnt actually break fully and shatter just had a crack at the base of it ..it had been on 24/7 for a couple of weeks (but it had been used for a couple of years prior ) i removed all plants and washed them down with warm water straight from the tap just in case and then put them back after an hour of leaving them outside in the breeze ..seemed ok no powder on em or anything
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