mercury - vapor is the type of gas that is in fluorescent light bulbs.
mercury - vapor is the type of gas that is in fluorescent light bulbs.
what type of gas is in fluorescent light bulbs?
mercury - vapor
fluorescent lamps contain mercury, which is released when bulbs break. mercury in bulbs is typically present as either elemental mercury liquid, vapor, or both, since the liquid evaporates at ambient temperature. when broken indoors, bulbs may emit sufficient mercury vapor to present health concerns, and the u.s. environmental protection agency recommends evacuating and airing out a room for at least 15 minutes after breaking a fluorescent light bulb. breakage of multiple bulbs presents a greater concern. a 1987 report described a 23-month-old toddler who suffered anorexia, weight loss, irritability, profuse sweating, and peeling and redness of fingers and toes. this case of acrodynia was traced to exposure of mercury from a carton of 8-foot fluorescent light bulbs that had broken in a potting shed adjacent to the main nursery. the glass was cleaned up and discarded, but the child often used the area to play in .
mercury poisoning
a compact fluorescent lamp (cfl) uses a fluorescent lamp tube which is curved or folded to fit into the space of an incandescent bulb and contains a compact electronic ballast in the base of the lamp. compared to general-service incandescent lamps giving the same amount of visible light, cfls use one-fifth to one-third the electric power, and may last eight to fifteen times longer. newer phosphor formulations have improved the perceived color, with "soft white" cfls judged subjectively similar to standard incandescent lamps. objections more specifically relating to compact fluorescent light bulbs include the different quality of light produced by phosphor-based lamps compared to incandescent lamps and that compact fluorescent light bulbs contain small amounts of mercury, a potent neurotoxin, which is especially dangerous to children and pregnant women, and made more serious by the confined area mercury would be dispersed in the event of a breakage indoors. environmental concerns about mercury contamination from cfls have been raised, but they can be shown to emit less mercury into the environment overall compared to traditional incandescent bulbs, due to the significant reductions in power plant emissions. compact fluorescent lamps start poorly when cold, and most types cannot be dimmed. a few specialist applications are unsuitable for cfls.
phase-out of incandescent light bulbs