Fluorescent bulbs--Watt Could Go Wrong?

From day one, The Mayor and his cabinet have been against Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL's). When the grand pubah of Ontario, Liberal Dalton McGuinty, said that all inefficient light bulbs will be banned by 2012 and must be replaced by cfl's, my cabinet and I knew that it was not only a bad environmental idea, but a financial hardship on Ontario residents. The environmental lobby and the liberals disagreed with us and that was that.

However, a report today by msnbc, says that cfl's are dangerous business and we are not prepared for the disaster they will most certainly cause one day:

All CFLs contain mercury, a neurotoxin that can cause kidney and brain damage.

The amount is tiny — about 5 milligrams, or barely enough to cover the tip of a pen — but that is enough to contaminate up to 6,000 gallons of water beyond safe drinking levels, extrapolated from Stanford University research on mercury. Even the latest lamps promoted as “low-mercury” can contaminate more than 1,000 gallons of water beyond safe levels.

CFL's are safe, unless they are broken, of course. When that happens...

“This is an enormous amount of mercury that’s going to enter the waste stream at present with no preparation for it,” she said.

The article goes on to explain the various steps involved for cleaning up a broken CFL. And let me tell you, it would be easier changing a gas centrifuge.

This is the tip of the iceberg. CFL's aren't the warm and fuzzy solution for our electricity problem. Building more power plants is the solution.

CFL--not just a crappy football league