This is my main problem with the CFL's. Nevermind the intensity of light, the color of the light, or that it takes about a half hour before they reach full luminescence, or any of that other crap. My main issue is the Mercury content and how that information goes under the radar. That info should be included in commercials and ads for CFL's the same way as Viagra and Cialis. Five seconds of info and 25 seconds of warnings. The government has already "determined"(I use that term loosely) that Mercury content in our water supply is a leading cause of Autism, and yet they know full well that these mercury vapor bulbs are going to get tossed in the trash with yesterday's Chef Boyardee in probably 90% of households across America.

I guarantee that those people that buy everything, and I mean everything, from Wal-Mart, who have purchased these CFL's toss them in the regular, landfill-bound garbage can all the time.

How are the environmentalists ok with this? Where is the outcry?

CO2 emissions? Does this chart assume that all power in America is derived from coal?

What about those states that are almost purely hydroelectric, solar, wind, and nuclear?

Or is that not a convenient enough truth to prove an info skewed point?

That's exactly my point. Where is the outcry? These bulbs are massively polluting our water table. If all it takes is one drop of evil motor oil to pollute 1,000,000 gallons of fresh drinking water, how much more contamination and inherent birth defects could result in one drop of pure mercury(figuratively speaking from a conglomeration of thousands of bulbs)?

Look, I'm just making the same reaction to the "possible" pollution of ANY fluorescent bulb being thrown in the trash as those in the environmentalist movement make about ANYTHING they don't believe in or agree with. Mercury poisoning is a very real thing and has been widely known for years. But, because the CFL thing is part of their cause, they simply overlook it as some sort of "acceptable loss" or info they can just sweep under the rug. I'm sorry, but I have to call BS. I've simply grown tired of a lot of environmentalist's double standards. I'm done with them. I know there's no arguing with them. They don't listen to reason. They have all their skewed "studies" to "prove" their points.

Likewise, I'll be checking out of this thread now. It is spiraling and I've better things to do with my day.

Out BTL.