Canadians are improperly disposing of toxic and hazardous chemicals, says a Statistics Canada study.
The study looked at Canadian disposing habits of florescent lights (CFLs), halogen lights and light-emitting diode (LED) lights, and found that half of the urban population simply throws them in the garbage instead of turning them in at a retailer or using a special recycling program.
The study, released March 19, says that one third, or 32 per cent, of people use a “controlled” method of disposal: 24 per cent reportedly using a depot or drop-off centre and 8 per cent returning the bulbs to a supplier or retailer. Twelve per cent still had old bulbs in their house at the time of the study.
Halifax was most likely to dispose of CFLs properly; Hamilton, Ont., was the least likely.
“CFLs do contain mercury,” explained Peter Hargreave, director of policy and strategy at Ontario Waste Management. “So there is a potential hazard.”
Although the bulbs only contain about 4 milligrams each, Jennifer Baron, waste management consultant at Golder Associates, says mercury at any level is handled as a toxic substance.
“There are a few ways to dispose properly of CFLs and throwing them in the garbage is definitely not one of them,” Baron said . “Mercury is also pervasive and accumulative so when it gets into the environment it bio-accumulates, especially near water bodies. So it is really important to dispose of these products properly.”
Baron warns that throwing fluorescent bulb in the trash the bulb, being glass, can break and allow the mercury to escape. “These bulbs then enter into our landfills,” Baron explained .
A better way is to return them to certain retailers, such as Home Deport or Canadian Tire, where they have CFL disposal boxes. Just make sure to wrap the bulbs in bags beforehand to avoid shattering them.
Environment Canada and Health Canada were not available for interviews.
A Health Canada email responding to questions from Global News warns of possible health concerns due to exposure to mercury, but notes that the severity of exposure also depends on the type of mercury.
In higher concentrations, elemental mercury can cause damage to the mouth, respiratory tract and lungs and can lead to possible death from respiratory failure. Long-term exposure to low concentrations are similar to the effects of organic, or methyl, mercury. They may damage fetuses and may lower I.Q. or cause delays in walking and talking, blindness and seizures. If adults encounter extreme exposure, it can lead to personality changes, tremors, vision changes, deafness, memory loss and sometimes death.
Exposure to inorganic mercury can cause kidney failure and gastrointestinal damage, cause blisters and ulcers on the lips and tongue, rashes, weakness, high blood pressure and muscle twitching.
The total amount of mercury emissions from humans around the world is thought to be approximately 2400 tons per year. In 2000, Canadians accounted for about 8 tons.
Below are steps that should be taken in the event of mercury exposure due to a broken bulb. Proper disposal methods can be found on the Government of Canada website.
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