On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:59:57 +0000 (UTC), (Don
Klipstein) wrote:

Keep in mind that a CFL has about 1% or less as much mercury as a
mercury fever thermometer, and around a thousandth or two of the mercury
of a mercury thermostat switch.

- Don Klipstein )

Hi Don,

For anyone who hasn't met Don before, he's *THE* man when it comes to
lighting. Take a bow, my friend!

I'm too lazy to look this up, but I believe a Philips Universal
Alto-II CFL is now down to just 1.7 mg of Hg, is it not? When
combined with a 15,000 rated life, the amount of Hg they release into
the wild at their EOL is a tiny fraction of what comes out of a coal
stack. And if properly recycled or otherwise disposed, their direct
contribution is effectively nil (e.g., some retail stores such as IKEA
now offer this service at no charge).

I understand the three Honeywell thermostats in my home have a
combined Hg content in excess of 2,700 mg -- the equivalent of some
1,600 of these Philips lamps.

Cheers,
Paul