Are they are environmentally unfriendly?

March 28, 2008 at 4:47 am (Environmental News)
I heard this the other day and have looked into it. finding nothing to say this wrong I need to share it will you ..

The New energy saver Light globes you know the ones with the funny globe.well they are as you would know are flourescent,

flourescent bulbs have been linked to increasing siezures in epileptics and other health issues, however this is not my issue with these bulbsit is the content of mercury contained within them which is of concern.

I had no idea that this was the case and although they are of saving the planet credentials, at what cost I ask?

Here is a story I have found at Reuters Mercury in energy-saving bulbs worries scientists

The Story is as follows:

By Lisa Von Ahn
NEW YORK (Reuters) - There's an old joke about the number of people it takes to change a light bulb. But because the newer energy-efficient kinds contain tiny amounts of mercury, the hard part is getting rid of them when they burn out.
Mercury is poisonous, but it's also a necessary part of most compact fluorescent bulbs, the kind that environmentalists and some governments are pushing as a way to cut energy use.
With an estimated 150 million CFLs sold in the United States in 2006 and with Wal-Mart alone hoping to sell 100 million this year, some scientists and environmentalists are worried that most are ending up in garbage dumps.
Mercury is probably best-known for its effects on the nervous system. The Mad Hatter in the classic children's book "Alice in Wonderland" was based on 19th-century hat makers who were continually exposed to the toxin.
Mercury can also damage the kidneys and liver, and in sufficient quantities can cause death.
U.S. regulators, manufacturers and environmentalists note that, because CFLs require less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs, they reduce overall mercury in the atmosphere by cutting emissions from coal-fired power plants.
But some of the mercury emitted from landfills is in the form of vaporous methyl-mercury, which can get into the food chain more readily than inorganic elemental mercury released directly from a broken bulb or even coal-fired power plants, according to government scientist Steve Lindberg.

"Disposal of any mercury-contaminated material in landfills is absolutely alarming to me," said Lindberg, emeritus fellow of the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Continued

The story continues so please visit the link and read on.. it is enlightening do you think we might be cutting of our noses despit our face could this cause more problem than they solve?

Your thoughts welcome