You might try to argue that the reduction of energy use caused by using these bulbs will negate any harmful affects but when the EPA recommends you evacuate a room for 15-30 mins after you break a CFL, that’s a hard argument to support.

While I am well aware of the proper procedure of how to clean up one of these bulbs if it breaks, I doubt too many other people know. Who knows how many people have unknowingly cleaned up a broken CFL and disposed of it as if it was a broken incandescent.

All I’m saying is that having mercury filled products in confined spaces (like a house) will increase everyone’s risk of coming into direct contact with mercury, including our children. With incandescents being banned and the only alternative are CFL’s, contact with mercury could become a very common thing.

Also, in case you were wondering, the reasons I used the first quoted paragraph even though it was talking about mercury as an air pollutant was 1) it referred to it as “toxic mercury” and 2) it brought up the fact about China, which I thought was ironic given the fact that they produce CFL’s.

See here

CFL bulbs reduce mercury pollution. Sorry, mate.