Are Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs Really Green?
Escalating volume of highly toxic mercury being disposed of in household trash
By LARRY TUTTLE Counterpunch May 9 2011
Sesame Street broadcasts started nearly two decades after my elementary school years. So like many adults, I watched Sesame Street with my children and grandson. A favorite segment asked which “one of these things is not like the others?”
In this era of everything labeled green and sustainable, this critical thinking lesson should be used more often. Which one these things, for example, is not like the others: weatherizing and insulating homes, energy efficient appliances, compact fluorescent lights (CFLs)? Hint: it is the one the Environmental Protection Agency classifies as hazardous waste,
CFLs contain 2.5-5.0 milligrams of mercury, a known toxin that directly and cumulatively affects human health, water, air, soils, and wildlife.
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