Right On The Right

I've had some quiet reservations about the massive use of Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs), but nothing major until recently. A while ago I wrote about CFLs damaging my laptop, but that was nothing more than a joke. The new evidence about the damage CFLs can do however is not a joking matter. Via Ed Morrissey of Hot Air:

Compact fluorescent light bulbs, long touted by environmentalists as a more efficient and longer-lasting alternative to the incandescent bulbs that have lighted homes for more than a century, are running into resistance from waste industry officials and some environmental scientists, who warn that the bulbs’ poisonous innards pose a bigger threat to health and the environment than previously thought. …

As long as the mercury is contained in the bulb, CFLs are perfectly safe. But eventually, any bulbs — even CFLs — break or burn out, and most consumers simply throw them out in the trash, said Ellen Silbergeld, a professor of environmental health sciences at Johns Hopkins University and editor of the journal Environmental Research.

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

How bad is the mercury problem? According to Ed, each individual bulb can contaminate thousands of gallons of water, putting trace amounts of mercury into our water supply that can be very toxic. Also, there's a huge problem when it comes to disposal. Perhaps Rush was right about these things afterall. Glenn, any thoughts on the matter?