Fluorescent light bulbs are currently being used by companies and households all over the world.

The bulbs use less power and last longer compared to earlier light bulb designs. However, once a
fluorescent bulb has been utilized, the disposal of the light bulbs can be harmful to the environment due to
the mercury within it.

Mercury can exist in three oxidation states: Hg0, Hg22+, and Hg2+. It has been discovered that
mercury moving in the environment will change form and species. Each oxidation state has various
effects on the environment, and the specific emission of each species is believed to be dependent on the
fuel used to burn the chemical.

Build up of mercury compounds in the air are shown by the following reactions:

Hg(g)0Hg(aq)0

Hg(aq)0+O3(aq)Hg(aq)2+

Gas emissions of mercury result in the production of the metallic oxidation state. Gaseous
mercury reacts with ozone in the atmosphere to create the mercuric state Hg2+ which settles into bodies of
water. Methyl bacteria convert the mercury to methyl mercury which enters the ecosystem.

In the soil, mercury is subjected to the following reaction:

Hg(aq)2++sootHg(p)2+

Once released into the soil, mercury binds tightly to soil components and typically accumulates
over a long period of time. The inorganic compounds are released into surface waters and other parts of
the environment after the compounds are deposited into land masses. From there, mercury enters the
ecosystem by another path. Once that occurs, mercury reduces reproductive rate, impairs growth, and
kills fish. Humans are then exposed to similar abnormalities from fish consumption. However, plants do
not appear to accumulate lethal doses of mercury from the air or soil.

Mercury Study Report to Congress. 1st ed. 7 vols. Washington D.C.: Environmental Protection Agency,

1996. Print.

"MERCURIC OXIDE." New Mallinckrodt Baker website. Web. 31 Oct. 2009.

<http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/m1521.htm>.