Danger: Mercury in Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Bulbs
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and big corporations, like Walmart, are aggressively promoting compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs because: 1) a 20-watt CFL provides as much light as a 100-watt incandescent bulb, 3) they are 10 times more expensive than incandescent light bulbs, and 4) they will make a lot of money for corporations and shareholders.
The downfall of CFL's include: the cost, the toxic amounts of mercury, and the lack of proper recycling programs for this toxic product. In addition, if you break a CFL, you will be required to pay thousands of dollars for a hazardous clean up crew because mercury is a potent neurotoxin. Indeed, it is a very toxic chemical, for anyone who gets in contact and breathes the vapor, but even more so for children and babies in the womb. In Britain, the UK EPA urges its citizens to vacate a room for fifteen minutes because of the dangers of mercury.
So what are the dangers of mercury? After only one large breath of mercury vapor, the lungs become the main target of mercury poisoning. Other potential symptoms include: headache, cough, kidney damage, bronchitis, metallic taste, chills, vomiting, mouth sores, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, shortness of breath, swollen gums, weakness, confusion, chest tightness, and pneumonia. In light of these awful health dangers, can you believe the packages don't even mention these hazards?
Corporations must be held accountable for the proper disposal of these toxic CFL's. Why should consumers be required to pay for the hazardous clean up a product made with mercury? Something is seriously wrong here. The least GE and other manufacturers should do is to find a cost effective, safe, and easy way to dispose of their product. Although the EPA is actively encouraging retailers to step up and get involved in the proper recycling of CFL's, only IKEA has such a recycling program in place. Indeed, it is the moral responsibility of retailers of CFL's to provide proper handling and recycling of such toxic materials.
NPR's All Things Considered "CFL Bulbs Have One Hitch: Toxic Mercury" podcast