New light from the dimwits in Congress.

• Author: Emord, Jonathan W.
• Position: The Environment - Environmental hazards of compact fluorescent lights

"[Federal lawmakers are] making every home in the U.5. a future hazardous material site. All Americans will be forced to spend more money for--and be at risk of mercury toxicity from--every fight fixture in the house."

Most of us think changing a light bulb is a mundane task, certainly not one that places us in peril, but that is about to change, courtesy of a mandate from Congress limiting freedom of choice in the light bulb market. Federal law will prohibit the sale of incandescent light bulbs, necessitating the purchase of Compact Fluorescent Lights. CFLs are those spiral tube lights that contain mercury, one of the most toxic elements on Earth. Congress fell in love with CFLs in 2007 when it became convinced that they could help achieve energy independence by reducing demand for electricity, and so passed the Energy Independence and Security Act. which included a provision that denies citizens the right to purchase the incandescent bulbs consumers have enjoyed without complaint for more than 130 years.

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Thomas Alva Edison invented the incandescent light that we use in 1879. Incandescent light bulbs are far cheaper than CFLs. Indeed, Edison's invention brought to fruition one of his early prophetic observations: "I shall make electricity so cheap that only the rich can afford to burn candles."

The congressional ban on incandescent light bulbs will be implemented over the next three years. On Jan. 1, 2012, 100-watt incandescent bulbs will be unlawful to sell. On Jail. 1. 2013. 75-watt bulbs become illegal and. on Jan. 1, 2014. 40- and 60-watt bulbs will be banned. In anticipation, many companies already are discontinuing the manufacture of incandescent bulbs. Unless the law is amended, it is likely that consumers will be unable to find incandescent bulbs by the end of this year. Some people are buying large quantities ahead of the ban.

CFLs are comprised of a gas-filled glass tube containing between three and 30 milligrams of mercury. Even before the congressional mandate has taken effect, an estimated two to four tons of mercury are being released into the environment each year from broken or discarded CFLs. Once the ban is in place, that figure will increase substantially and create a major new environmental hazard.

Mercury is a highly toxic metal, regardless of the form it takes. Mercury poisoning can occur via vapor inhalation, ingestion, or absorption through the skin. Chronic exposure to comparatively small...