VaporLokCapture Breakthrough Technology Captures More Than 95% of Mercury Vapor From Broken Fluorescent Lamps and CFLs

    MINNETONKA, MN, June 21, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- VaporLok Products, LLC has announced VaporLokCapture, a breakthrough adsorbent technology used in fluorescent lamp and compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) storage and shipping containers for capturing mercury vapor from broken lamps and CFLs. VaporLokCapture is a new feature to be incorporated into the company's patented Mercury VaporLok fluorescent lamp shipping and recycling system.

VaporLokCapture effectively adsorbs mercury vapors from broken lamps found within lamp storage, shipping or recycling containers. A recent study conducted by NUCON International Inc., a world-wide leader in providing gas, vapor and liquid phase adsorption solutions to the Nuclear Power and other industries, found that mercury vapor levels within packages containing broken fluorescent lamps exceed health and safety exposure limits and guidelines. According to Louis Kovach, president of NUCON: "Our scientific testing indicated that vapor levels inside packages containing broken fluorescent lamps can exceed 300 times the 8-hour permissible exposure limit levels established by OSHA. With the addition of the adsorbent technology, these levels were reduced by more than 95 percent."

"A University of Minnesota study in 2008 determined that almost all mercury lamp shipping and recycling packages leak dangerous mercury vapor if fluorescent lamps inside are broken," said Brad J. Buscher, CEO of VaporLok Products, LLC. "Our Mercury VaporLok foil packaging provided a solution to this problem by containing nearly 100 percent of the vapor. Now we are moving forward again with a solution that not only contains the vapor but actually captures it within the container. This will provide an enhanced layer of protection against incidental mercury exposure if packages are opened with broken lamps or CFLs inside."

Opening a package containing broken fluorescent lamps and/or CFLs presents a significant risk of mercury vapor exposure, potentially rising well above both the OSHA 8-hour permissible exposure limit of 100 ug/m3 and the NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) IDLH (immediately dangerous to life and health) level of 10,000 ug/m3. Patent-pending, new VaporLokCapture technology significantly minimizes this risk, effectively adsorbing and capturing the mercury vapor, achieving more than 95 percent mercury vapor reduction within the container. With this design, approximately 60 percent vapor reduction is achieved in as little as 15 minutes after lamp breakage, keeping vapor levels below the NIOSH IDLH guideline. Review details of the NUCON testing by downloading a Mercury Vapor White Paper at www.vaporlokproducts.com/capturewhitepaper.pdf.

Using a proprietary process, the patent-pending adsorbent is manufactured with powdered activated carbon and inert chemicals. When lamps or CFLs break, the adsorbent immediately begins to capture the mercury vapor. In addition to broken lamps, VaporLokCapture is designed to adsorb mercury vapor from any device or product containing mercury. You can view a short animated depiction of this process at www.vaporlokproducts.com/capturedemo.

VaporLokCapture will be incorporated into VaporLok Products industrial and consumer CFL packaging solutions which include the Mercury VaporLok zippered, foil-plastic laminate bag and VaporLokCapture adsorbant. Unlike other containers, these enhanced packages are nearly 100 percent effective in containing mercury vapor and more than 95% effective in adsorbing harmful mercury vapor--ensuring the protection of handlers, end-users, transporters and recyclers.

VaporLok Products, LLC is a company dedicated to designing, manufacturing and selling innovative packaging solutions that both protect humans from exposure to the contents of the package (such as harmful vapors) and the contents of the package from exposure to outside elements (such as oxygen and moisture). These packaging solutions are scientifically designed and tested to meet applicable Federal and State OSHA and DOT requirements. For more information, contact VaporLok Products LLC, 302 North Riverfront Drive, Mankato, MN 56001. Phone: 1-877-334-1116; email [email protected].

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