Is the amount of mercury in CFLs more dangerous than the amount in fish?
With all the recent warnings about mercury levels in fish, you’d think fish were the only source of the poison we encounter in daily life. Mercury in fish (which is actually methylmercury, to be specific) is a legitimate problem. The fact is, though, there are plenty of other potential sources of mercury exposure, including home thermostats, thermometers (it’s that silver substance), the air in certain areas, and surprisingly, the energy-saver that’s going to change the world: the compact fluorescent lightbulb, or CFL. Yes, there’s mercury in CFLs, those lightbulbs that might soon be mandated as permanent replacements for the incandescent bulbs that have been the standard since Edison. So what’s the big deal with mercury? It’s just an element (Hg) on the periodic table, and it occurs naturally in the environm
