Congress has passed a law that says all incandescent light bulbs must be phased out by 2014, replaced by CFL (compact fluorescent) bulbs. What we're seldom told is that CFL bulbs pose serious health dangers. The bulbs contain mercury, one of Earth's most toxic elements. Most CFL bulbs contain four to five milligrams of mercury. That's enough to contaminate 6,000 gallons of clean water.
These so-called "green" bulbs already occupy landfills around the nation, the mercury seeping into ground water. Where garbage is burned, the toxic element is released into the air we breathe. As time goes on and incandescents are eliminated, the problem will only grow more serious.
If a CFL bulb shatters, you can forget the days of sweeping up the shards with a broom and tossing them in the trash. Rather, you should treat the broken glass as you would a shattered thermometer. The EPA advises opening a window, evacuating the building for 15 minutes, then returning with duct tape to pick up the broken glass. After this, one is to put the glass shards and duct tape into a glass jar, screw on a tight lid and take it to a toxic dump. I have a feeling most American households won't be going this route.
This specific disposal information is not widely known, as CFL bulb packages don't list these steps. So, how are Americans supposed to know about the dangers of CFLs and about the proper disposal procedures? The media, maybe? It's a rare occurrence that the media pay this issue any attention. Here is a clip of one such rare occurrence:
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