Clean Energy?

The production of normal light bulbs will cease soon...or already have.  So, we will be forced to stock up on what is in the stores or switch to CFL Bulbs...which save a lot of energy compared.

The pros and cons seem obvious.  The old bulbs are a dime a dozen and the new bulbs are 2 to 5 dollars or more a piece.  However, CFLs do run about six times as efficient as old 60 watt bulbs.

When you break an old bulb you're like, "Oh, darn it.  I broke a bulb.  Then you get out the broom, maybe some tape to pick up broken pieces and throw it away.  When you break a CFL bulb......well, here is what you are suppose to do:

1. Put on rubber, nitrile or latex gloves.
2. If there are any broken pieces of glass or sharp objects, pick them up with care. Place all broken objects on a paper towel. Fold the paper towel and place in a zip lock bag. Secure the bag and label it as directed by your local health or fire department.
3. Locate visible mercury beads. Use a squeegee or cardboard to gather mercury beads. Use slow sweeping motions to keep mercury from becoming uncontrollable. Take a flashlight, hold it at a low angle close to the floor in a darkened room and look for additional glistening beads of mercury that may be sticking to the surface or in small cracked areas of the surface. Note: Mercury can move surprising distances on hard-flat surfaces, so be sure to inspect the entire room when "searching."
4. Use the eyedropper to collect or draw up the mercury beads. Slowly and carefully squeeze mercury onto a damp paper towel. Place the paper towel in a zip lock bag and secure. Make sure to label the bag as directed by your local health or fire department.
5. After you remove larger beads, put shaving cream on top of small paint brush and gently "dot" the affected area to pick up smaller hard-to-see beads. Alternatively, use duct tape to collect smaller hard-to-see beads. Place the paint brush or duct tape in a zip lock bag and secure. Make sure to label the bag as directed by your local health or fire department.
6.  OPTIONAL STEP: It is OPTIONAL to use commercially available powdered sulfur to absorb the beads that are too small to see. The sulfur does two things: (1) it makes the mercury easier to see since there may be a color change from yellow to brown and (2) it binds the mercury so that it can be easily removed and suppresses the vapor of any missing mercury. Where to get commercialized sulfur? It may be supplied as mercury vapor absorbent in mercury spill kits, which can be purchased from laboratory, chemical supply and hazardous materials response supply manufacturers.
   Note: Powdered sulfur may stain fabrics a dark color. When using powdered sulfur, do not breathe in the powder as it can be moderately toxic. Additionally, users should read and understand product information before use.
7. If you choose not to use this option, you may want to request the services of a contractor who has monitoring equipment to screen for mercury vapors. Consult your local environmental or health agency to inquire about contractors in your area. Place all materials used with the cleanup, including gloves, in a trash bag. Place all mercury beads and objects into the trash bag. Secure trash bag and label it as directed by your local health or fire department.
8. Contact your local health department, municipal waste authority or your local fire department for proper disposal in accordance with local, state and federal laws.
9. Remember to keep the area well ventilated to the outside (i.e., windows open and fans in exterior windows running) for at least 24 hours after your successful cleanup. Continue to keep pets and children out of cleanup area. If sickness occurs, seek medical attention immediately. View information on health effects related to exposures to vapors from metallic mercury. For additional information on health effects, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) provides a Mercury Fact Sheet that also presents information on health effects related to exposures to vapors from metallic mercury.

Based on the comparison of CFL bulbs and our old bulbs it seems as though this can be equated to the comparison of nuclear energy with coal.  Nuclear energy is "clean" energy.  Very little if any pollution with nuclear plants.  They will provide energy for years while keeping our environment clean.  Coal will pollute our environment over those same years and spend our fossil fuels.  And coal plants can be dangerous.  All that coal dust is very combustible and has exploded in the past. however, the towns people near by will probably be alright.

Nuclear plants don't have coal dust, so the threat of coal dust explosions aren't there.  There is that problem with meltdowns though.  yeah.  If that happens because the cooling system shuts down it will do more than just harm the people near by.  The plant will explode...nuclear radiation leeks into the ground, the water, the air...spread for thousands of miles in the atmosphere....be caught in rain clouds that will later rain down radioactive rain on another country on the other side of the world....the power plant will be forever useless, requiring thousands and thousands of tons of concrete and boron for encasing the reactor building....cause near by towns to evacuate becoming ghost towns (as was seen when Chernobyl melted)...and thousands of people will die up to decades later from the radiation.

Seems to me like all these new ideas for "clean" energy have more than a few cons in the "pros and cons" list.