What should I do to clean up the broken flourescent light bulb?

Question

It was broken by being dropped onto the plastic, tile floor of a room. It was unused.

I thought it contained mercury, but I saw no liquid coming out. Is it contained within the plastic base of the light bulb, or is it just too little an amount to see?

Also, my mom told me that it also contains lead. Is that true? I thought its only danger was mercury output. If it does contain lead, how do I clean it up?

Also, is it necessary to wash my clothes?

Answer 1

Use a wet paper towel, NOT a broom, to pick up the broken pieces with.  Wear protective gloves when you do this.  The mercury is in the bulb, not the base---it's in the glass I think.  Put the broken glass & the base in a separate trash bag, not in the trash that goes to usual dumps.  Call Waste Management and ask how to dispose of the flourescent light bulb.  If you use a broom, you will spread the mercury around the tile floor.  Those types of bulbs are considered HAZardous MATerial I heard on the news.  You don't want the mercury to come into contact with your skin.

Answer 2

the lead would not be runny like mercury so as long as you wear gloves to clean it up shouldnt be a problem also the best way to clean up shattered glass is either damp kitchen roll, slices of bread or wet soap as this will gather or the tiny splinters up