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When it comes to recycling old electronics, the things you might often think of our old desktop computers, printers, and fax machines. Whatever your e-waste is, it’s essential that they do not end up in landfills and instead, are recycled by a certified data destruction company. Something that you might still have lingering in your home is an old CRT TV. Your next question might be, what is a CRT TV? Read on to learn more.
There are three clues that you might have a CRT TV. If you knock on the front of the TV, is it thick glass? That is, it doesn’t push in a little as a flat screen plasma would. Does it have a low back on it? Would it be nearly impossible to hang on the wall? If you answered yes to all these questions, you probably have a CRT TV and not a newer flat panel TV that has been growing in popularity ever since the turn of the millennium.
A CRT TV is a television device that uses cathode ray tubes. These tubes contain one or more electron guns and fluorescent screens that are used to view images. What some people might not realize is that these tubes contain high levels of toxins. CRT TVs typically include about 4 to 8 pounds of lead in the glass tube, and the inside of these tubes also are coated with toxic phosphor dust. In addition to lead, there are often traces of mercury within the tubes as well. Given the high density of toxins that are housed in CRT TVs, it’s crucial that these devices are recycled and not thrown away in a landfill. If you or someone you know still has an old CRT TV in their home and are thinking of getting rid of it, be sure to find a certified data destruction and recycling company who will be able to recycle your old CRT TV safely.
