# I was exposed to a broken fluoro and there's so much conflicting information on exposure to pregnant women



## from aus (Mar 7, 2011)

Is there anyone out there that has been exposed to a broken fluoro while pregnant and had everything turn out ok? I had no idea about any of the dangers associated with them and was exposed to the mercury vapour and then my husband, swept it, vacuumed it and then go the garden blower to blow the white powder out of the door. All of the worst possible things you can do. Walked it through the whole house too. I've been going crazy trying to find answers to no avail. Has anybody else been in this situation? Was your bubby OK?


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## new2this (Feb 11, 2010)

I assume your talking about flouroescent lights. If that is the case then yes. I broke one and had to clean it up myself. I didn't think anything of it. but anyways all is fine with our LO.


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## from aus (Mar 7, 2011)

Thanks so much for responding - you've made my day!:-


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## MacKinnon (Jun 15, 2004)

Here is what I found on exposure to broken compact flourescents. We did break one while I was pregnant with DD2, and while my DH did the clean up, he also did it all wrong. She was/is fine though.



> www.ct.gov/dph/lib/dph/cfl_fact_sheet_final.pdf


Quote:


> Health experts do not expect to see illness from exposure to broken CFLs in most people. This is because CFLs contain such a small amount of mercury. However, even small exposures can affect the developing brain and central nervous system in fetuses and young children. This is why pregnant women and young children should stay out of a room where a CFL has broken until several days after the clean-up.
> Symptoms related to mercury exposure include increased irritability, nervousness, shyness, tremors, and changes in vision or hearing, and memory problems. These symptoms are not generally seen from a broken CFL exposure, but may be seen in people exposed to large amounts mercury vapor.


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## from aus (Mar 7, 2011)

Thanks v much for your response and input - i'm freaking out about all the vapour i was exposed to. The 4 foot fluorescents have 3 times the mercury of the newer CFL's. So glad to know there is hope though - so much doom and gloom written out there. No professional has any information on what i should do next now that i've done everything wrong - they just keep reading to me the correct way things should be done! Very frustrating. Can't believe nobody knows about the dangers here in Aus. We were the first to introduce the bulbs, yet nowhere on the packaging suggests that it contains mercury or warnings in case of a breakage.


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## Annie Mac (Dec 30, 2009)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_poisoning#Treatment

This is the wiki entry about mercury exposure and treatment. I'm not at all sure that chelation is safe during pregnancy. I HATE those flourescents. Here in Canada, they are passing a law to remove mercury from consumer products (or remove those products), however the CFL gets an exemption -- and in the province I live in, they just took the higher wattage incandescent bulbs off the market and replaced them with CFLs! I could rant and rant but I will stop there. However, I do urge you to properly dispose of the bulbs (both broken and intact). Here you have to take them to a special hazardous recycling depot, although apparently some of the larger retailers who sell them will do this for you. Perhaps in Australia there is a better, more convenient system in place to take care of them. Most people here just toss them with the trash but then you run the risk of the mercury leaching out of the landfills and doing god knows what kind of damage.

On the plus side, when they were talking about the CFLs on the radio, they said they had less mercury than a can of tuna. I know yours wasn't a CFL, but maybe it was like eating 3 cans of tuna or something. Are you past your first trimester? Because I think most of the neural development is done during the first 3 months. Not totally sure, but I seem to recall something like that.


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## from aus (Mar 7, 2011)

Thanks Annie Mac, I was 22 weeks the day it happened. I think neurological development continues all through the entire pregnancy and beyond. I found a lot of threads posted previously (some quite a few years back) in the same predicament as me. I was hoping to hear from some of them. Nobody has updated. and yes I couldn't agree more about hating CFL's. I only wish i knew why i should hate them earlier. The community in general here is very ignorant of the dangers. I rang the Poisons Information Centre when it happened and they asked if i was sure they had mercury in them?


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## Annie Mac (Dec 30, 2009)

Yeah, maybe it's other things that are done by the first trimester. The organ system or something. You'd think I'd remember, it wasn't that long ago.I just recall being amazed by the development in the 1st trimester! But of course neural development keeps going, all throughout life. Hmm. That's appalling about the Poison Information line. How about contacting your doctor or midwife? Not that they would necessarily know either, but worth a shot. Maybe you could get a test to see what your mercury levels are at, and that might put your mind to ease. This might be a case, though, of something that's already happened, that you can't do much about anyway, that will *probably* be OK so what's the point worrying? Yeah. I know. Easier said than done.


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## Chamsia (Jan 19, 2007)

Blessings to you and your wee one, OP. Wishing you peace as you pursue this elusive information! Probably there is nothing to do but hope.

If I were you I would comfort myself by thinking of all the awful things folks get exposed to and do just fine. My 76-year-old, healthy (still skis all winter!) dad used to play with mercury as a child, using it to polish pennies. And you are a strong mama, I'm sure.

Best wishes. I bet your little bean is just fine and didn't get a whiff of it.


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## from aus (Mar 7, 2011)

Thanks so much for your kind words Chamsia. I hope you are right!:-


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