Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA,
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2014;21(14):8673-7. doi: 10.1007/s11356-014-2765-3. Epub 2014 Apr 1.
European legislation has set a limit of 5 mg Hg per compact fluorescent lamp (CFL). Compliance with this regulation is tested with a method given in a European law from 2002 ("EU method"). According to the EU method, the arc tube has to be placed inside a fume cupboard and cut into segments. These pieces are collected and washed with HNO3, which is finally analyzed for Hg. In this study, we investigated the losses of Hg via the gas phase, which are ignored by the EU method, using a semiquantitative radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) technique developed at the TRIGA Mark II reactor in Vienna (Austria). Depending on the product, the losses range as high as approximately 2% at 20 °C. At higher ambient temperatures (hot summer days), the losses may increase by a factor of 4. Quality products generally suffer lower emission via the gas phase than cheap products, which is probably due to amalgam or other techniques that retain the Hg from broken CFLs. In any case, the EU method introduces a small but avoidable systematic error into the analysis and, in contrast to recommended practices, underestimates the Hg content of the CFL in question. Having technical alternatives at hand, we urge European lawmakers to adjust the law accordingly.
欧盟法规规定紧凑型荧光灯（CFL）中汞的含量不得超过 5 毫克。2002 年欧盟法规（“欧盟方法”）中规定的一种方法用于测试法规的遵守情况。根据欧盟方法，将电弧管放置在通风橱内并切成段。这些碎片被收集并使用 HNO3 进行清洗，最后对 Hg 进行分析。在这项研究中，我们使用在维也纳 TRIGA Mark II 反应堆开发的半定量放射性核素中子活化分析 (RNAA) 技术研究了欧盟方法忽略的通过气相损失的 Hg，该技术的损失高达 20°C 时约 2%。在环境温度较高（炎热的夏日）时，损失可能增加 4 倍。质量较好的产品通常通过气相排放的 Hg 比廉价产品少，这可能是由于汞齐或其他保留从 CFL 中破碎的 Hg 的技术。在任何情况下，欧盟方法都会在分析中引入一个小但可避免的系统误差，并且与推荐做法相反，会低估所讨论的 CFL 的 Hg 含量。由于手头有技术替代品，我们敦促欧洲立法者相应地调整法律。
