“difference in chemical makeup between an ordinary fluorescent light and CFL”
Thanks for the informative reply, which is delayed because I was on vacation.
Hadn’t thought of the heat-caused emissions from the plastics in the ballasts. I recall that the old metal-encased ballasts get hot and often need replacing. They could have emissions when hot also, huh?
I still don’t see a reason why the new CFLS are any more harmful to the environment than the old fluorescents.
Not really. The issue isn't so much the plastic inside the ballasts, but rather the plastic enclosure itself. Metal is a much better conductor of heat than plastic, and so the old metal-cased ballasts didn't get as hot as the newer ones; metal also doesn't generally give off nasty fumes when heated (unless it gets really, really hot).