Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs:
Worst Green Idea Ever?

I don’t understand the blind devotion to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Everyone is switching over to them thinking it’ll save money, energy and the environment. But don’t they contain mercury? How did the “green” concept for these even develop? Let’s make a light bulb that will help the environment but fill it with one of the most toxic heavy metals on earth that is nearly impossible to dispose of…

I don’t understand how the U.S. Senate can ban mercury thermometers and then let people fill their homes under every lamp with their own mini source of mercury. How can people be so upset about mercury in vaccines, mercury in amalgam fillings, mercury in canned tuna and then go out and buy these light bulbs? Yes they last awhile but what happens in 25 years when you have to throw them away? Will they go to a landfill where the mercury will seep into the soil and groundwater for us to drink and evaporate into the air for us to inhale? What happens when they break? We’re all going to turn into mad hatters thanks to these light bulbs.

The argument every company makes when it comes to toxic substances is that the amount is so small it’s not harmful to the human body. Well that may be true if mercury wasn’t like DDT and other persistent pollutants that bio-accumulate in the body over time. The extensive clean up directions alone if you were to break one of these bulbs should be a strong hint that this is an extremely toxic terrifying substance to be dealing with even in minute quantities.

A few weeks ago at a green expo event I stopped at a booth for a company that will “green” your home and give you suggestions on how to make your home more eco-friendly. The booth was covered with what else? CFLs. I asked them about the electromagnetic fields coming off those bulbs and they said they didn’t know anything about that but they would ask their research department. I didn’t even bother asking them about the mercury content. The electromagnetic fields coming off compact fluorescent light bulbs is off the charts. So while you stand at the bathroom mirror or read under your desk lamp, you can get a nice strong dose of radiation as well. As if we don’t have enough sources of electromagnetic pollution in our lives.

To be honest, I haven’t done much research into CFLs, probably because I don’t plan on buying any, although there are all these movements to ban traditional incandescent light bulbs by 2010 which of course makes me wonder what people are thinking, if they’re thinking at all. Not all “green” products are as environmentally friendly as they claim and compact fluorescent light bulbs are probably the best example of why you should not assume that “green” automatically means healthy and good.

The toxicity of plastics has been making headlines:
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