Remember that Little Bit of Mercury in those Bulbs?

These bulbs are being mandated on people left and right and they are not cheap. A regular bulb will cost you $1.50 and these new compact fluorescents are upwards of $8 or $9 each.

On top of that, let’s look at the hazards related to these new bulbs. I think it’s all hogwash, but the government is now providing people with instructions on how to dispose of these things and deal with them when they break! From boston.com:

“We found some very high levels [of mercury] even after we tried a number of cleanup techniques,” said Mark Hyland, director of Maine’s Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management. He said levels were the lowest if the room was well ventilated after breakage.

The study recommended that if a compact fluorescent breaks, get children and pets out of the room. Ventilate the room. Never use a vacuum, even on a rug, to clean up a broken compact fluorescent lamps. Instead, use stiff paper such as index cards and tape to pick up pieces, and then wipe the area with a wet wipe or damp paper towel. If there are young children or pregnant woman in the house, consider cutting out the piece of carpet where the lamp broke as a precaution. Place the shards and cleanup debris in a glass jar with a screw top and remove the jar from the house.

Disposal regulations vary from state to state, with some requiring broken compact fluorescent light bulbs, to be disposed of as household hazardous waste. Most states allow intact compact fluorescents to be thrown away, but some – such as Vermont, Minnesota, and California – ban disposal in trash, according to Bender.

Let the lawsuits begin! But if it makes you feel better, go buy some.

[UPDATE] I just did a Google search on ‘mercury leak school‘ to see what comes up. I had remembered a few instances where schools were shut down for a day or two while the haz-mat teams cleaned up the place. It happens almost every week!