Marathon light bulbs
2 reports to CPSC, the latest made Jun 13, 2013. A report isn’t a recall.
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At a glance
From SaferProducts.gov, released Oct 25, 2026.
- 2reports to CPSC
- Jun 13, 2013the latest report was made
- Mar 11, 2012the earliest
- 2with the company’s comments
- Brand
- Marathon
- Maker
- Philips Lighting CompanyMakers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
- Product
- Light bulbsCPSC’s product type: Light Bulbs (code 627), in Furniture, Furnishings & Decorations: Indoor Lighting
By month
The numbers, as a table
| Month | Reports |
|---|---|
| June 2013 | 1 |
| March 2012 | 1 |
How badly anyone was hurt
- No one hurt 2 CPSC: Incident, No Injury
As each report says it, in short words; CPSC’s own words are under each.
The reports, as CPSC published them
Reports people made to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC publishes each one after sending it to the company named, and doesn’t guarantee they’re accurate. A report isn’t a recall.
Each report is the words of the person who made it, as CPSC published them. The company’s comments, where CPSC published any, are set apart as the company’s own.
CPSC, SaferProducts.gov public database export. Released Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily.
-
No one hurt Made Jun 13, 2013, sent to the company Jun 21, 2013, published by CPSC Jul 15, 2013
The product, in the report: compact florescent light bulb
On April 6th, 2013, my wife and I came home to find broken glass on our living room carpet.
The glass, which was the globe surrounding a compact florescent light bulb, had fallen eight feet striking an end table in the living room and shattering. The CF bulb itself remained attached to the recessed light fixture in our vaulted ceiling and to our amazement the bulb was still in working condition.
After removing the bulb from the light fixture we noticed that the coating inside the bulb had pulled away from the glass leaving clear class in places. The light bulb had reached heat levels sufficient to melt the glass and fuse sections of the bulb together.
Compact florescent light bulbs are not supposed to get hot, certainly not hot enough to melt glass. After our discovery we took the bulb back to Home Depot where we originally purchased the bulb and a number of other CF bulbs years ago. We were concerned about the amount of heat that was generated and of the possible fire hazard it presented. The person in the electrical department had never seen or heard of a CF melting before however he was not concerned and when asked did not recommend replacing the remaining bulbs in our house.
Although the Home Depot representative did not seem to be overly concerned about the melted bulb we later spoke to an electrician and electrical engineer who was also amazed by what he saw and was so concerned that he recommended we replace all of the bulbs of this type in our house.
Compact florescent lights are a relatively new technology and do not have the same track record as incandescent bulbs. With any new technology there is always a learning curve and improvements are continuous and numerous as time goes on. Not withstanding the relatively new technology surrounding CF bulbs I am concerned with safety.
My wife and I have decided to error on the side of caution and replace all of the remaining CF bulbs of this type in our house. The circumstances could have been much different if the bulb had caught fire in our ceiling and burned our house down instead of just coming apart and showering our floor with broken glass.
Although we have taken the steps necessary to eliminate this threat in our home we are afraid that this problem may lurk in other homes across America and felt it necessary to bring it to your attention. The cost of replacing the bulbs is more than offset by the peace of mind we have knowing this threat has been eliminated.
In support of our story I have pictures of the bulb in question including all of the printed identifications and markings. I am also have retained the original bulbs including 4 that have not yet melted as well as the melted one.
- Bought from
- Home Depot, California
- Where
- Huntington Beach, California: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 59, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Marathon, made or sold by Philips Lighting Company
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Mar 11, 2012, sent to the company Mar 19, 2012, published by CPSC Apr 2, 2012
The product, in the report: Marathon Mini Decorative Twister EL/mdT 23W 120V 60 Hz 360ma CHINA K A6
Right after screwing in a compact florecent bulb it exploded sending glass through air hitting me.
- Model
- Marathon Mini Decorative Twister EL/
MdT 23W 120V 60 Hz 360ma - UPC
- none
- Serial number
- none
- Where
- Fortuna, California: Other Public Property/
Office - Who was involved
- Age 62, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Marathon, made or sold by Philips Lighting Company
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
CPSC’s disclaimer
Disclaimer: CPSC does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of the Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database on SaferProducts.gov, particularly with respect to information submitted by people outside of CPSC.
Word for word, from the disclaimer in CPSC’s export.
Sources
Sources
-
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, SaferProducts.gov public database export.
Released Oct 25, 2026 and checked Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.
Reports of harm are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), on SaferProducts.gov. CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record.