Tondo barangay bans breaking of lamps with toxic mercury

To protect recyclers and residents, a barangay in Tondo, Manila has banned the deliberate breaking of fluorescent lamps containing the toxic substance mercury. A news release of EcoWaster Coalition said Barangay 105, Zone 8, District 1adopted on Monday Resolution 11-25 prohibiting the breaking of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and other mercury-containing lamps in the area, a recognized hub of informal recycling in Metro Manila. The resolution will take effect on December 7. According to EcoWaste, informal recyclers break used lamps to retrieve aluminum and copper parts which they sell at junk shops. However, when lamps are broken, their mercury contents are also released. Mercury is highly toxic. If ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the skin, it can damage the brain and the central nervous system and cause other serious diseases, EcoWaste said. A “toxic investigation" conducted by the EcoWaste Coalition and other environmental health groups in April 2011 detected high levels of mercury vapor in Sitio Damayan where busted CFLs are manually broken with hammer to remove recyclable materials. “The practice of breaking lamps directly exposes informal recyclers and the entire community, especially young children, to mercury vapor pollution," the resolution said. Junk shop operators in the area will now be prohibited from buying aluminum and copper obtained from the improper recycling of mercury-containing lamps, the resolution added. - VVP, GMA News