“leave burning all day” lights....CFL’s work ok.
“Frequent On/Off” lights....CFL’s burn out as fast if not faster than incandescents I have found.
But the high health risk CFL’s are not really suitable for homes with children or the elderly. Health risks via accidental CFL breakage is too high to gamble health about, even though political types say otherwise.
But political folks NEVER deceive, right?
Well, I’d say it’s like anything else. They serve a purpose, and do it pretty well. If you want that purpose and have the right conditions to do it safely, you’re set.
Someone upthread mentioned the slower max brightness in the bathroom to avoid being blinded...honestly even if that does end up a higher cost, that’s still a good option. I don’t think I consciously thought about that before, but I’ve certainly benefitted from it!
All of this aside, I think if a politician’s mouth is moving they’re lying, but CFLs do have uses in which they excel.
If you want to talk about safety, there are quite a lot of things that can be encountered day to day that would be unsafe if misused. Oven cleaner, drain cleaner, bleach and ammonia, automotive antifreeze...should they be banned?