I'm confused. I've heard that those swirly light bulbs may actually be WORSE for the environment because they contain mercury. Is that true? Should I stick with regular light bulbs?
by 
katydid15
ANSWERS: 4
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yes mercury is bad for the environment and human health
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The amount of mercury is pathetically small. The amount of environmental damage done by the mercury is significantly less, than the resources used by the old fashioned bulbs.
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They are only dangerous if you break the glass and breathe in the contents........I am 65 years old and I can honestly say that I have never broken the glass on any sort of lightbulb.....so,I feel that the risk to health is so minimal as not to be a worry....summat els 'll get ya.....
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The flourescent (swirly)bulbs are harder to dispose of than the incandescents. The exact reason for that I don't know, but if something is hard to dispose of, it's because it contains toxic chemicals. Whether or not your health will be harmed if you happen to break one of those bulbs is not really part of the equation. They do require less electricity than incandescent bulbs, so in that way, they're better for the environment. In the United States, it soon will not matter, since incandescent bulbs are going to be phased out, and only the flourescent bulbs will be available.
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