CRT Monitor and TV Disposal Legacy (Lead Content, Mercury Backlights, State E-Waste Laws) — household safety profile
High riskAn estimated 600 million CRT televisions and monitors were sold in the US between 1980-2007, containing 4-8 lbs of lead per unit in leaded funnel glass (20-25% PbO by weight) used for X-ray shielding.
What is this product?
An estimated 600 million CRT televisions and monitors were sold in the US between 1980-2007, containing 4-8 lbs of lead per unit in leaded funnel glass (20-25% PbO by weight) used for X-ray shielding. Total legacy lead in CRTs: approximately 1.2-2.4 billion lbs of lead in US households and storage. CRT recycling collapsed after 2014 when the last major US CRT glass-to-glass recycler (Closed Loop Refining) shuttered — leaving millions of tons of leaded glass with no market. Some recyclers stockpiled CRTs and abandoned warehouses full of leaded glass (Columbus, OH warehouse: 207 million lbs). Flat-panel LCD and OLED replacements eliminated CRT lead but introduced mercury in CCFL backlights (3-5 mg per lamp, 6-20 lamps per display) — LED backlights (post-2012) eliminated mercury. TCLP leach testing: CRT glass frequently exceeds 5 mg/L lead threshold — classifying it as RCRA hazardous waste. Many states enacted e-waste laws specifically because of the CRT disposal crisis.
What's in it
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X-Ray Shielding
Backlight
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Open in home View raw API dataReference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific information. Why we built ALETHEIA →