mercury poison

what are the realistic chances of someone getting mecury poisoned from cleaning up a broken cfl bulb and exactly what is the amount of mercury in those type of bulbs

 

Not likely. I've done it several hundred times. If you stand there and sniff the powder directly thats another story, but not form cleaing one up.
http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf

 

There are so many views on this subject I guess led is the only safe option

 

CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing – an average of 4 milligrams (mg). By comparison, older thermometers contain about 500 milligrams of mercury – an amount equal to the mercury in 125 CFLs.

Mercury is an essential part of CFLs; it allows the lamp to be an efficient light source. No mercury is released when the bulbs are intact (not broken) or in use.

Most mfrs of CF's have reduced mercury in their fluorescent lighting products. In fact, the average mercury content in CFLs has dropped at least 20 percent or more in the past several years. Some have even made further reductions, dropping mercury content to 1 mg per light bulb.

Most mercury vapor inside fluorescent tube becomes bound to the inside of the tube as it is used. The EPA estimates that the rest of the mercury within a CFL – about 11% – is released into air or water when it is sent to a landfill, assuming the tube is broken.

The bottom line is you actually get a lot more Hg exposure from coal-fired electrical generators than from CF's.

 

Good info gave you some karma