Bill to make incandescent light bulbs illegal

[David S]

Why do they have to be tyrants about it? Why not just tell people that they can save money on their electric bills by using CFLs? Who doesn't want to save money? Tell the CFL makers to use their own damn money to advertise them. Most people will voluntarily make the switch where ever it makes sense to do so. Many of the local restaurants around here have replaced the incandescents with CFLs for the cost saving. I've replaced most of my incandescents with CFLs for the same reason. I don't use them everywhere though. They don't work well in cold conditions so I don't use them in the garage or in outdoor lighting. Also some of them are slow to reach full brightness. I don't use them in closets or stairways for that reason.

LEDs may well be the lights of the future but I currently don't see them for sale at stores. I find them on the Internet but the prices are high and they really don't have anything that can replace a 60 watt conventional bulb.

My guess is that the CFL manufacturers bought off congress to force the bill through and thereby guarantee sales .

[David S]

True, but even short-term contact is unhealthy

Not terribly.  A brief exposure to a small amount of mercury isn't going to hurt much.  If you ensure that no further exposure occurs, your body is perfectly capable of purging itself of the mercury it absorbed.

When I was  a kid a friend of mine had a small bottle filled with mercury. We used to play with the stuff. We would pour it out of the bottle and push it around with out fingers. It hasn't hurt me any... well aside from that third eye. (Just kidding.)   I don't think it has caused any harm.