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                     Damned if you do, damned if you don't
                                        
I came across this article about CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb)s perhaps
being worse for the environment than the traditional incandescent bulbs:

> It's quite odd that environmentalists have embraced the CFL, which cannot
> now and will not in the foreseeable future be made without mercury. Given
> that there are about five billion light bulb sockets in North American
> households, we're looking at the possibility of creating billions of
> hazardous waste sites such as the Bridges' bedroom.
> 
> Usually, environmentalists want hazardous materials out of, not in, our
> homes. These are the same people who go berserk at the thought of mercury
> being emitted from power plants and the presence of mercury in seafood.
> Environmentalists have whipped up so much fear of mercury among the public
> that many local governments have even launched mercury thermometer exchange
> programs.
> 

Via Flutterby [1], “The CFL mercury nightmare [2]”

and was greatly amused at the unintended consequences (Why Things Bite Back:
Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences) [3] of attempting to
be enviromentally sound.

Then I came across some additional information about mercury filled CFLs at
Instapundit [4] and maybe, just maybe, things aren't quite as bad as they
seem.

Personally, I almost wish it were true, just to see the environmental
greenies get their panties in a wad and try to spin this (and yes, I'm bad
that way).

[1] http://www.flutterby.com/archives/comments/9965.html
[2] http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=aa7796aa
[3] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679747567/conmanlaborat-
[4] http://instapundit.com/archives2/004578.php

Email Sean Conner at sean@conman.org

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