To the editor:

In our race to eliminate the “harmful” effects of greenhouse gases, which many believe to be directly responsible for the alleged global warming, we have been encouraged by many, including former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore, to switch to compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), as this will reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted into the atmosphere. I even heard Clinton say that the use of CFLs was a win-win situation, because use of these will not only improve the environment, they will also lower our electrical bill!

I was listening to the radio last week, and I heard a talk show host mention that these “environmentally friendly” CFLs contained mercury! That’s right, mercury! Surely, we aren’t buying and using disposable products that contain this hazard, are we? Puzzled, I went to the local home center to verify what I had heard. Sure enough, of the several different brands, wattage and candle-powers available, they ALL contained mercury!

Even though there is a warning on the package that the consumer needs to dispose of properly, I wonder how many people will remind themselves of this when they are bumping around in the dark, before they replace their recently burned out CFL for a brand new one! I, for one, am more than just a little worried about the effects that the burned-out or broken CFLs, which I am sure will be indiscriminately thrown out with the trash, will have on the environment. This can’t be a good thing, can it?

Patrick Winchester,

Lecompton