Congressional Record, Volume 157 Issue 89 (Tuesday, June 21, 2011)

[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 21, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H4336-H4337]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

WARNING: LIGHTBULBS DANGEROUS TO YOUR HEALTH

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Poe) for 5 minutes.
Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it's turn out the lights; the party is
almost over for the incandescent lightbulb.
Four years ago, a law went into place which mandated that every
lightbulb across America must be 25 percent more efficient by 2014.
What this meant was that the incandescent lightbulb, Thomas Edison's
greatest invention, is being banned and Americans will be forced to buy
the government-selected replacement, the compact fluorescent lightbulb.
There are health risk problems with the compact fluorescent
lightbulb, or the CFL as it's called. The National Institutes of Health
states that fluorescent bulbs contain mercury. Now, isn't that lovely?
Further, another Federal agency, the EPA, warns that the broken bulb
contains mercury and will ``continue to release mercury vapor until it
is cleaned up and removed from the room.''
Mr. Speaker, I thought we were trying to get rid of mercury in our
products in this country. So, in case we happen to break one of these
new glass fragile lightbulbs--and I have one here and I'll be very
careful not to drop it on the House floor because if I do, we'll have
to evacuate the House floor. Here's what the EPA says and advises we're
to do to clean up the poisonous debris in this lightbulb.
I am reading from the EPA's verbatim Web site:
Have people and pets leave the room.
Air out the room for 5 to 10 minutes by opening a window or a door to
the outdoors. Now, how you do that in a high-rise, Mr. Speaker? You are
to shut off the central heating and air conditioning system.
Collect materials needed to clean up the broken bulb. I guess we have
to use gloves and duct tape, and place the cleanup materials in a
sealable container.
Promptly place all bulb debris and cleanup materials outdoors in a
trash container or protected area until materials can be disposed of
properly.
Avoid leaving any bulb fragments or cleanup materials inside the
room.
It goes on. Continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken
and leave the heating and air conditioning system shut off for several
hours.
I might note this is just a condensed instruction. The EPA has
provided more detailed instructions on its Web site, and I submit this
3-page, single-spaced, typed document of over 1,000 words on how to
clean up one of these lightbulbs if it's broken into the Record, Mr.
Speaker.
Recently, the French have noted that CFL bulbs can harm a child's
vision because they contain arsenic, among other poisons, and the
German scientists have found that these CFL bulbs can also cause
cancer. Now, isn't that odd--that these bulbs mandated by the Federal
Government actually are harmful to our health?
We should forget school lunches, Mr. Speaker. We now need to worry
about our children's eyesight because of the lighting they sit under
every day in a classroom, all thanks to the blind Federal Government.
The Federal Government's anti-energy, anti-consumer choice regulation
leaves Americans no other option but to purchase and use a harmful,
poisonous product. If that's not reason enough to get rid of these
bulbs, here's another one.
None of these bulbs are made in the U.S.A. You look very carefully on
every one of these bulbs, they will say, ``Made in China.'' That's
right. Our good buddies, the Chinese, make all of these bulbs. The last
factory in the United States that made incandescent lightbulbs closed
down September 14, 2010. This ended a manufacturing industry that began
all the way back to Thomas Edison.
So these job-producing lightbulb factories have been shipped off to
China and now to Mexico, leaving even more Americans out of work. In
fact, the lightbulb that I just read off of says that it is made in
China, and it's in several languages, of course.
So the Federal Government imposed a burdensome, harmful-to-your-
health regulation. An American factory closed. Jobs moved overseas.
We've sort of heard this story before.

{time} 1210

But there's a bright spot to this sad tale. Just yesterday, the State
of Texas passed a law that protects Texans from this absurd abuse of
Federal power. The law will allow Texans to continue to buy
incandescent bulbs that are made in the State of Texas, keeping the
government out of people's lives and keeping jobs in America--even if
it is in Texas.
And let's not forget that this regulation is unconstitutional. The
Federal Government does not have the authority to force anybody to buy
anything, from health care insurance to a box of doughnuts or even a
light bulb, especially if the light bulb is hazardous to America's
health. Nowhere in the Constitution does the Federal Government have
such abuse of power.
So it's time we repeal the unconstitutional job-killing, bad-for-
your-health light bulb mandate. Otherwise, it looks like we'll be
singing ``the party's over'' for the incandescent light bulb. ``Because
they say that all good things must end. Call it a night. The party's
over. And tomorrow starts the same old thing again.''
And that's just the way it is.

What To Do If a Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Bulb or Fluorescent
Tube Light Bulb Breaks in Your Home: Detailed Recommendations

Source: Epa.gov

Before Cleanup

1. Have people and pets leave the room, and avoid the
breakage area on the way out.
2. Open a window or door to the outdoors and leave the room
for 5-10 minutes.
3. Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning
(H&AC) system, if you have one.
4. Collect materials you will need to clean up the broken
bulb:
Stiff paper or cardboard; sticky tape (e.g., duct tape);
damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes (for hard
surfaces); glass jar with a metal lid (such as a canning jar)
or a sealable plastic bag(s).

Cleanup Steps for Hard Surfaces

1. Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using
stiff paper or cardboard and place debris and paper/cardboard
in a glass jar with a metal lid. If a glass jar is not
available, use a sealable plastic bag. (NOTE: Since a plastic
bag will not prevent the mercury vapor from escaping, remove
the plastic bag(s) from the home after cleanup.)
2. Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any
remaining small glass fragments and powder. Place the used
tape in the glass jar or plastic bag.
3. Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable
wet wipes. Place the towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.
4. Vacuuming of hard surfaces during cleanup is not
recommended unless broken glass remains after all other
cleanup steps have been taken. [NOTE: It is possible that
vacuuming could spread mercury-containing powder or mercury
vapor, although available information on this problem is
limited.] If vacuuming is needed to ensure removal of all
broken glass, keep the following tips in mind:
Keep a window or door to the outdoors open; vacuum the area
where the bulb was broken using the vacuum hose, if
available; and remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the
canister) and seal the bag/vacuum debris, and any materials
used to clean the vacuum, in a plastic bag.
5. Promptly place all bulb debris and cleanup materials,
including vacuum cleaner bags, outdoors in a trash container
or protected area until materials can be disposed of
properly.
Check with your local or state government about disposal
requirements in your area. Some states and communities
require fluorescent bulbs (broken or unbroken) be taken to a
local recycling center.
6. Wash your hands with soap and water after disposing of
the jars or plastic bags containing bulb debris and cleanup
materials.
7. Continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken
and leave the H&AC system shut off, as practical, for several
hours.

Cleanup Steps for Carpeting or Rugs

[[Page H4337]]

glass remains after all other cleanup steps have been taken.
[NOTE: It is possible that vacuuming could spread mercury-
containing powder or mercury vapor, although available
information on this problem is limited.] If vacuuming is
needed to ensure removal of all broken glass, keep the
following tips in mind: Keep a window or door to the outdoors
open; vacuum the area where the bulb was broken using the
vacuum hose, if available; and remove the vacuum bag (or
empty and wipe the canister) and seal the bag/vacuum debris,
and any materials used to clean the vacuum, in a plastic bag.
4. Promptly place all bulb debris and cleanup materials,
including vacuum cleaner bags, outdoors in a trash container
or protected area until materials can be disposed of
properly.
Check with your local or state government about disposal
requirements in your area. Some states and communities
require fluorescent bulbs (broken or unbroken) be taken to a
local recycling center.
5. Wash your hands with soap and water after disposing of
the jars or plastic bags containing bulb debris and cleanup
materials.
6. Continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken
and leave the H&AC system shut off, as practical, for several
hours.

Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rugs: Air Out the Room During and After
Vacuuming

1. The next several times you vacuum the rug or carpet,
shut off the H&AC system if you have one, close the doors to
other rooms, and open a window or door to the outside before
vacuuming. Change the vacuum bag after each use in this area.
2. After vacuuming is completed, keep the H&AC system shut
off and the window or door to the outside open, as practical,
for several hours.

Actions You Can Take to Prevent Broken Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Fluorescent bulbs are made of glass and can break if
dropped or roughly handled. To avoid breaking a bulb, follow
these general practices:
Always switch off and allow a working CFL bulb to cool
before handling.
Always handle CFI, bulbs carefully to avoid breakage.
If possible, screw/unscrew the CFL by holding the plastic
or ceramic base, not the glass tubing.
Gently screw in the CFL until snug. Do not over-tighten.
Never forcefully twist the glass tubing.
Consider not using CFLs in lamps that can be easily knocked
over, in unprotected light fixtures, or in lamps that are
incompatible with the spiral or folded shape of many CFLs.
Do not use CFL bulbs in locations where they can easily be
broken, such as play spaces.
Use CFL bulbs that have a glass or plastic cover over the
spiral or folded glass tube, if available. These types of
bulbs look more like incandescent bulbs and may be more
durable if dropped.
Consider using a drop cloth (e.g., plastic sheet or beach
towel) when changing a fluorescent light bulb in case a
breakage should occur. The drop cloth will help prevent
mercury contamination of nearby surfaces and can be bundled
with the bulb debris for disposal.

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