Lamp Material Information Sheet
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
Information and Applicability
The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) requirements of the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) for chemicals are
not
applicable to manufactured articles
such as lamps. No material contained in a lamp is released during normal use and
operation.
The following information is provided as a service to our customers. The following Lamp
Material Information Sheet contains applicable Material Safety Data Sheet information.
I. Product Identification
GE Fluorescent Lamps
GE Consumer & Industrial
Lighting
1975 Noble Road
Nela Park
Cleveland, OH 44112
(216) 266-2222
II. Lamp Materials and Hazardous Ingredients
Glass & Metal
The glass tube used in a standard fluorescent lamp is manufactured from soda-lime glass and is
essentially similar but not identical to that used throughout the glass industry for bottles and other
common consumer items. The end-caps on the lamp are generally aluminum while the wires in the
lamps (called filaments or cathodes) are made of tungsten. None of these materials would present a
potential hazard in the event of breakage of the lamp, aside from the obvious ones due to broken
glass. Some fluorescent lamps (CovRguard
™
products) use an external coating of polycarbonate to
provide a shatter-resistant coating.
Phosphor
The fluorescent product line uses two different phosphor systems. One phosphor system
(halophosphate) uses calcium chloro-fluoro-phosphate, with small amounts (less than 1-2% by weight
the phosphor) of antimony and manganese, both of which are tightly bound in the
phosphor matrix.
The second phosphor system (SP/SPX) uses a mixture of rare earth elements such as lanthanum, and
yttrium as either an oxide or as a phosphate, along with a barium/aluminum oxide. These phosphors
produce better lamp efficiency and color rendition. The phosphor components may vary slightly
depending on the color of the lamp (cool white, warm white, etc.). Also, in some lamps designed for
reduced power consumption, a thin coating of tin oxide is placed on the inside of the glass prior to
coating the glass with the phosphor.
August 2004
Fluorescent Lamps-MSD
1
