[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9609-9611]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             WARNING: LIGHT BULBS 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 light bulb.
  Four years ago, a law went into place which mandated that every light 
bulb across America must be 25 percent more efficient by 2014. What 
this meant was that the incandescent light bulb, Thomas Edison's 
greatest invention, is being banned and Americans will be forced to buy 
the government-selected replacement, the compact fluorescent light 
bulb.
  There are health risk problems with the compact fluorescent light 
bulb, 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 light bulbs--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

[[Page 9610]]

we're to do to clean up the poisonous debris in this light bulb.
  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 light bulbs 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 light bulbs closed 
down September 14, 2010. This ended a manufacturing industry that began 
all the way back to Thomas Edison.
  So these job-producing light bulb factories have been shipped off to 
China and now to Mexico, leaving even more Americans out of work. In 
fact, the light bulb 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

       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. Vacuuming of carpeting or rugs 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.
       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.

[[Page 9611]]




 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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