Mercury is a long known in history as an extremely toxic and poisonous substance.
Today apart from LED lighting, mercury base lighting is what everyone use. In the past, Mercury is used to replace the Incandescent lighting because Mercury base lighting is much more efficient than Incandescent lighting. Incandescent lighting produce 95% of energy use as HEAT and Mercury base lighting is able to reduce heat generation.
Mercury is used on lighting as to save more energy compare to Incandescent lighting. And mercury base lighting is also more lasting and reliable compare to Incandescent lighting.
Although Mercury have help to save and conserve more electrical energy for our future but it also poses a threat to our environment and us when we dispose mercury base lighting.
Mercury is a metal element and is easily absorb into fat. High fat content food source like Tuna fish are known for mercury contamination and it could possibly due to our own action.
The toxic effect of Mercury include permanent damage to our brain, kidney and lungs. And it is also linked to acute diseases like acrodynia, Hunter-Russel syndrome and Minamata disease.
In the event when a fluorescent tube (or any mercury base lighting) breaks, we should vacate the area for at least 15min as the emitted mercury vapor is sufficient to cause a health concern.
