💥 CRT implosion, leaded glass, phosphor
fatal
Where you meet it: Any cathode ray tube — TVs, monitors, oscilloscopes, arcade cabinets
What you need to know
- A CRT is an evacuated glass vessel carrying roughly 800 lb of atmospheric load on a 27" screen. Never carry or handle a CRT by the neck — it snaps and the tube implodes, throwing glass in all directions.
- Wear a face shield, work with the tube face-down on a soft surface, and vent it deliberately if you must break it.
- Funnel glass contains lead for X-ray shielding. Screen phosphors in older tubes contain cadmium, zinc and in some cases beryllium compounds.
- A 27" tube is 60–100 lb; the largest reach ~400 lb. Back injuries are the most common actual CRT injury.
- CRT glass is regulated waste in most jurisdictions — it must not go in normal recycling or trash.
The rule: NEVER pick up or carry a CRT by the neck.
Components this applies to
Arcade PCBs / JAMMA Boards
Au 0.05–0.20 g per board ≈ 0.09 g/lbCu ~45 g/lbAu ceramic gold-lid customs (FD1094
C
CRT flyback transformers & deflection yokes ☠
Cu 150–400 g per yokeBase ferrite core
D
Vintage Home Computers & Boards
Au 0.05–0.20 g per C64 board; 0.1–0.4 g per Apple II boardAu gold-lid ceramic DIPs at $150–400/lbCu ~40 g/lb
D