Quantification of total mercury in compact fluorescent lamps in Saudi Arabia using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)

Human health is at risk due to exposure to mercury vapors that arise from breakage of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). Mercury content of CFLs, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), varies from 2 to 5 mg with average value of 4 mg. If the amount of mercury exceeds this limit, it may be dangerous to the human health and these CFLs will fall into the hazardous waste category. Most of the currently available CFLs in the Saudia Arabia (S.A.) market are manufactured in China and by well-known, worldwide brands. To ensure the commitment of these companies to the US EPA regulations, total mercury content was determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Nineteen different types of CFLs were purchased from local stores and analyzed by ICP-MS. The surprising results was that most of the Chinese CFLs had values of mercury up to three times than the maximum limit recommended by US EPA. This study was devoted to highlight the risk factor that CFLs may have for public health.