Mercury poisoning can affect the nervous system , the kidneys and the developing foetus .
How can mercury harm you ? Methylmercury is an organic compound that is transferred more efficiently up the food chain than inorganic mercury , and because it is not excreted efficiently by organisms , it is able to bioconcentrate , bioaccumulate and biomagnify . Bioaccumulation happens when a living organism takes up mercury over its lifetime ; biomagnification is when mercury is concentrated in organisms successively higher up the food chain as a result of them feeding on contaminated organisms lower on the food chain . For instance , small crustaceans are eaten by a small fish ; that small fish ( and his friends ) are eaten by a larger fish , like a tuna ; and you then eat the tuna . Because mercury is not efficiently excreted by living organisms you , at the top of the food chain , get an accumulated dose of mercury passed on to you from each of those organisms at lower levels of the food chain that eventually led to the tuna . This biomagnification transfer process is particularly efficient in aquatic food chains . The issue is further exacerbated by the fact that mercury is retained for long periods in the soil and can continue to be released into surface water for hundreds of years . Add to this the realisation that mercury in the environment takes a while to convert to methylmercury , and that the current high levels of organic methylmercury do not indicate the true loading of inorganic mercury in the environment , and one begins to see the seriousness of the issue .
So how do we dispose of fluorescent tubes , CFLs and other mercury-bearing light bulbs ? This is a question that Yogi Naidoo , owner of Pietermaritzburg ’ s Drakewoods — a 65-year-old industrial engineering supply business — wondered in 2012 , when a customer asked him to help dispose of used CFLs . When he began investigating , he was shocked to find that there was not one light-bulb recycler in the whole of Africa and that the country ’ s CFLs were all simply ending up in landfill sites . Until recently , South Africa had only four major landfill sites certified to handle hazardous materials like mercury , and users had to pay a premium to utilize these sites . High-hazard landfill site operators were required to follow strict guidelines when disposing of mercury-laden waste , to ensure that mercury does not enter the environment . However , making a landfill the end destination for mercury clearly isn ’ t a real solution to the problem and government has realised this — as from
PARTS FOR EVERY PROCESS .
BMG is Africa ' s leading distributor of engineering components and technical services . We carry an extensive range and stockholding of premium branded products to meet the needs of every industry sector across southern Africa . It is this commitment that has driven BMG to become a powerful industry leader .
Parts for every process . Part of yours .
For more information contact BMG Pietermaritzburg . Tel : 033 345 5206 or pmb @ bmgworld . net 318 Victoria Rd , Pietermaritzburg
WHERE TO DISPOSE OF YOUR CFLS
Organisations that generate moderate to large numbers of fluorescent tubes , CFLs and other mercury-bearing light bulbs are urged to contact EWaste Africa to dispose of this hazardous waste responsibly . Consumers with relatively small numbers of used CFLs are directed to use the collection points at :
• Pick ‘ n Pay stores nationwide . Contact them for your closest store on + 27 ( 0 ) 800 11 22 88 or visit their website at www . picknpay . co . za
• Select Woolworths stores nationwide . Contact them for participating stores on + 27 ( 0 ) 860 100 987 or visit their website at www . woolworths . co . za
34 | Issue 2 | Capital