The mercury content of CFLs is an understandable concern, and one that others have asked me as well. I asked my father about it before I started buying CFLs (he deals with hazardous waste management for a living, so he knows his stuff). My old man told me that the mercury is definitely not something you should be worried about--if you drop the bulb and break it, you merely carefully clean it up, just like you carefully clean up broken glass from a regular bulb. Mercury is dangerous, but it's not going to magically disappear right when you drop the bulb and spread throughout your house. If dropped, carefully clean up any parts and put them in a plastic bag (damp paper towels and duct tape can be useful to pick up glass particles and errant mercury powder); do not use a vacuum cleaner unless you have to (e.g. you've dropped it on carpet and you've gotten up whatever you can with a brush and tape). Then take the bag to your nearest hazardous waste collection center. Really, no big. (If you do, I reserve the right to say, "I told you so!") Also, keep in mind that 1.) you only need to change CFLs once ever 5-8 years, in my experience, and 2.) you'll probably be extra careful when you change them b/c you know they have mercury in them. Also, all CFLs that are under 25 watts (and you'll almost never use one over that strength in your house; usually 17 or less is sufficient) have 5 mg or less of mercury (that's roughly 1/6 of an ounce). (See [1], third paragraph.) For further info, the EPA has a nice page on CFL cleanup. (See [2].)
I guess you somehow missed the Snopes article saying that the whole story was rather overblown and that the Maine DEP didn't know what it was talking about?
I don't think anyone was recommending you deliberately expose yourself.
If you don't want to use them, don't use them. It's that simple.
I'm aware of efforts to mandate CFL usage by some governments (Australia and Canada, for starters). However, 1.) that isn't happening here, and 2.) focusing on it is merely deflecting the real issue that I raised. The fact of the matter is that you have a choice. Plix and I have both given you our opinions as well as some links. All you have to do is decide what you will do. This isn't a decision that is going to have drastic effects on the rest of your life (at best you'll save a few hundred on energy bills), so try not to over-think it too much. CFLs are not harmful to your health and they can easily be cleaned up (by you, for free). All you have to decide is which bulb you'll pick out the next time you go to the store.
How many years went by before we found out about mercury in immunizations? If they're not going to put a disclaimer on poisons they're putting into infants they're not going to worry about light bulbs. Of course thermometers were a huge threat and they did replace the mercury there.
In the 70's we didn't but in the 60's my dad had a small baby food jar filled with mercury. I can remember him dropping some on the workbench to show me how it broke apart and rolled away like beads. Of course I found where he kept it and pretty soon it was half gone.
You know, I was just about to post the same thing. I can't believe that people freak out over simple exposure to it (i.e. being in the same room). It's not radioactive or something for God's sake.
