Today I went down to the laundry room and discovered a CFL bulb had leaped to its death off the shelf while I was hammering floors down, and there was broken glass EVERYWHERE (mostly from the globe around the bulb, though). Out of curiosity, I wondered what the government had to say about cleaning up CFL bulbs, since they contain mercury (a possible 4mg!).

Don’t use a vacuum or a broom on hard surfaces, try and manage with cardboard and duct tape. Put everything in a sealed bag or canning jar. Clothes came in contact with some glass? Discard. Take the waste to a recycle area. Wipe down your vacuum. Ventilate the area. For FOUR MILLIGRAMS.

Then I remember at the family reunion, the talk amongst the folks of the baby boomer generation talking about playing with mercury. As in rolling it around on their hands and such. Puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?