Improving the work environment in the fluorescent lamp recycling sector by optimizing mercury elimination.

One of the main issues in the fluorescent lamp recycling sector is the mercury contamination of output fractions and occupational exposure associated with recycling operations. The aim of this study is to carry out effective mercury mass balance determinations and improve mercury recovery by finding the optimal levels for the recycling process parameters. These optimizations will allow upstream mercury emissions to be reduced, which will help to avoid mercury exposure among WEEE recycling workers. Firstly, the distribution of mercury was assessed in new and spent lamps. For new fluorescent tubes, the mean percentage of mercury in the solid phase is lower in new fluorescent tubes (19.5% with 5.5% in glass, 9.7% in end caps and 4.3% in luminescent powder) than in spent tubes (33.3% with 8.3% in glass, 12.9% in end caps and 12.1% in luminescent powder). The parametric study also shows that the finer the grains of glass, the higher the concentration of mercury (1.2 µg Hg/g for glass size particle >1000 µm and 152.0 µg Hg/g for glass size particle <100 µm); the crushing time required for the optimal removal of mercury from spent tubes is 24 h; on average 71% of the mercury is desorbed at a temperature of 400 °C. The effects of air flow rate, rotation speed and number of balls could not be determined due to wide variations in the results. It is recommended that recycling companies employ processes combining as heating and mixing techniques for the recovery of mercury from lamps in order to both (i) remove as much of the mercury as possible in vapor form and (ii) avoid adsorption of the mercury at new sites created during the crushing process.

Exposure to hazardous substances in Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) recycling sites in France.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) or e-waste recycling sector has grown considerably in the last fifteen years due to the ever shorter life cycles of consumables and an increasingly restrictive policy context. Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) from used television and computer screens represent one of the main sources of e-waste. CRTs contain toxic materials such as lead, cadmium, barium, and fluorescent powders which can be released if recycling of CRTs is not appropriate. Exposure to these harmful substances was assessed in nine workshops where CRT screens are treated. Particulate exposure levels were measured using a gravimetric method and metals were analysed by plasma emission spectrometry. The maximum levels of worker exposure were 8.8mg/m(3), 1504.3µg/m(3), 434.9µg/m(3), 576.3µg/m(3) and 2894.3µg/m(3) respectively for inhalable dust, barium, cadmium, lead and yttrium. The maximum levels of airborne pollutants in static samples were 39.0mg/m(3), 848.2µg/m(3), 698.4µg/m(3), 549.3µg/m(3) and 3437.9µg/m(3) for inhalable dust, barium, cadmium, lead and yttrium. The most harmful operations were identified, and preventive measures for reducing the chemical risk associated with screen recycling were proposed. Workplace measurements were used to define recommendations for reducing the chemical risks in CRT screens recycling facilities and for promoting the design and development of "clean and safe" processes in emerging recycling channels.

Occupational exposure in the fluorescent lamp recycling sector in France.

The fluorescent lamp recycling sector is growing considerably in Europe due to increasingly strict regulations aimed at inciting the consumption of low energy light bulbs and their end-of-life management. Chemical risks were assessed in fluorescent lamp recycling facilities by field measurement surveys in France, highlighting that occupational exposure and pollutant levels in the working environment were correlated with the main recycling steps and processes. The mean levels of worker exposure are 4.4 mg/m(3), 15.4 µg/m(3), 14.0 µg/m(3), 247.6 µg/m(3), respectively, for total inhalable dust, mercury, lead and yttrium. The mean levels of airborne pollutants are 3.1mg/m(3), 9.0 µg/m(3), 9.0 µg/m(3), 219.2 µg/m(3), respectively, for total inhalable dust, mercury, lead and yttrium. The ranges are very wide. Surface samples from employees' skin and granulometric analysis were also carried out. The overview shows that all the stages and processes involved in lamp recycling are concerned by the risk of hazardous substances penetrating into the bodies of employees, although exposure of the latter varies depending on the processes and tasks they perform. The conclusion of this study strongly recommends the development of a new generation of processes in parallel with more information sharing and regulatory measures.