My son broke an energy saving lightbulb, now I am a bit worried...

[FrozenChocolate]

He broke it last night and it fell on one side of the room with possibly tiny bits on the bed. It was too late to clear it up so he slept on another mattress on the other side of the room but I have just googled broken bulbs and they appear to be quite dangerous - did I make a huge mistake in not clearing it up straightaway and has he been breathing in nasties all night or is it not that bad really???

Why, whats meant to be inside them?

Mercury and stuff. Just read need to throw away bedding that the glass has touched - really? I can't throw away a new mattress. I'm worried now.

www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/household/products/cfl.htm

I just found that DEFRA site as well. It basically seems to say that you should take precautions in cleaning up (and it probably would have been best to clear it up straight away), but really the amount of mercury is so tiny that it's not going to cause any harm.

I've just had a look at the packaging for other bulbs and there is nothing in them about being careful when you clean it up so it can't be that bad can it? Please tell me I don't need to throw bedding away - would you, really?

I wouldn't.

I think the amounts of mercury are too small and they need to be ingested.

I think the amounts of mercury are too small and they need to be ingested.

I broke one a couple of months ago, and posted about this...might have been under 'health'. A friend of ours is a chemist and when I contacted him, he said I needed to evacuate the room, close the door, having opened the window as much as possible. Apparently it's the mercury vapour that's the problem and airing the room would help dissipate this.

Before I contacted him, I'd already hoovered up the glass pieces (they'd gone over the duvet). I didn't throw the duvet out but washed it. I did throw the hoover out as I didn't know what I'd sucked up. This was probably unnecessary, though I didn't want it blowing out stuff when I next used it. I read (I think on the DEFRA site) that you should contact your local council who should have in place a safe disposal policy. Needless to say, the council told me to double bag the broken glass and take it to the local tip (!) Btw, have suffered no ill-effects that I know of...and I guess I got a new Henry hoover out of it.