[Nathan Zachary]

Yes your right. The starter or balast contains an element and a tiny bit of mercury. The gas in the tube is argon, which excites the phosphous power that lines the tube. without that powder, you'd have a typical 'black light'.

[null and void]

These days, if someone breaks a thermometer in chemistry class the evacuate the whole friggin' school, and call in a hazmat team.

I guess I'm dead, given all the mercury I played with as a kid...