I was watching breakfast news today on the TV and was quite alarmed by what I heard. These new energy saving light bulbs are actually considered hazardous because they contain the poison mercury. Of course it doesn’t mention this fact on the packaging for these products and according to a lighting industry representative it probably never will do. You can’t even dispose of these light bulbs in a conventional manner as it’s considered hazardous waste. And it you happen to break one, cleaning it up isn’t as simple as getting a dust pan and brush – “Official advice from the Department of the Environment states that if a low-energy bulb is smashed, the room needs to be vacated for at least 15 minutes. A vacuum cleaner should not be used to clear up the debris, and care should be taken not to inhale the dust. Instead, rubber gloves should be used, and the broken bulb put into a sealed plastic bag – which should be taken to the local council for disposal.” – So currently everyone is totally oblivious to the fact that these light bulbs can be dangerous and the government is bringing in a ban on traditional tungsten light bulbs before 2011 phasing out tungsten bulbs over the next four years, 150 watt bulbs have already been phased out! It’s all well and good doing this to save the planet, but shouldn’t the risks of using these bulbs be explained to everyone that buys one by printing a warning on the box the bulb comes in…