[Aquinasfan]

There's enough mercury in a single CFL to contaminate 7,000 gallons of fresh water, and if Americans continue to purchase CFLs -- then throw them away in local landfills -- the United States will soon be facing an unprecedented burden of toxic mercury in rivers, streams, croplands and oceans.

Haven't heard that before. If true, that's very bad news.

[Cyber Liberty]

If a few micrograms of mercury can contaminate 7000 gallons of water, then you should worry. Otherwise, it may be reasonable to believe that’s hype from the LED-making company.

[hophead]

” Haven’t heard that before”

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cfl.asp

[fireforeffect]

Except that modern landfills have plastic liners and leachate collection systems. Mercury is one of the items they monitor for.

Like all ecofreaks statements, this one is based on 1960’s data.

[Old Professer]

Mercury is pretty much omnipresent; it would be impossible to isolate sources without tagging processes.

See: http://www.greenfacts.org/en/mercury/l-2/mercury-5.htm

[Gorzaloon]

There's enough mercury in a single CFL to contaminate 7,000 gallons of fresh water, and if Americans continue to purchase CFLs -- then throw them away in local landfills -- the United States will soon be facing an unprecedented burden of toxic mercury in rivers, streams, croplands and oceans.

Haven't heard that before. If true, that's very bad news.

First, this is more an infommercial than an article.

Assuming the tiny amounts of mercury reach an aquifer, AND all of is it dissolved, then it might. In reality, mercury is locked up and rendered insoluble by many soil elements such as sulfur.

Another thing that is not mentioned is that we have been using conventional BIG fluorescent tubes for a couple of generations now..and they have visible droplets of mercury in them.

Now: How much mercury was released into the environement on the single day of 9-11 from all those fluorescent lamps?

This should put these little CF's into perspective.