By Haley Riemer-Peltz

The Lincoln-Sudbury Environmental Club recently gave away free compact fluorescent lightbulbs to promote the use of the use of the energy saving lights. While CFL bulbs are beneficial for the environment, they may pose health risks due to the small amounts of mercury in them.
Last year, in an effort to reduce the amount of energy expended by L-S’s use of incandescent lightbulbs, the Environmental Club sold compact fluorescent lightbulbs at a fundraiser. The club sold them both at L-S and in the local community to raise money to put solar panels on the roof of the school. The panels would be used for educational purposes only, since there is neither the space nor the money to power the whole school.
CFLs last about ten times longer than normal bulbs while costing less and using much less energy than standard incandescent lights. Compared to incandescent lightbulbs that give off the same amount of light, CFLs use less power and have a longer lifespan. In the United States, a CFL can save over 30 US dollars in electricity costs over the lamp’s lifetime compared to an incandescent lamp, as well as saving 2000 times its own weight in greenhouse gases. Although a CFL is more expensive than an incandescent lamp of the same wattage, the cost is recovered in energy savings and replacement expenses over the bulb’s lifetime. 
However, like all fluorescent lamps, CFLs contain small amounts of mercury. The mercury complicates the disposal of fluorescent lamps and could pose a health risk if the bulbs are broken. If the lights are broken, all people and pets should leave the room, avoiding the area where the lamp broke. The room must be ventilated for at least fifteen minutes and all central heating and cooling systems must be shut off to prevent the spread of the mercury gas.
CFLs that have burned out are not supposed to be thrown out with the household trash, as mercury in landfills can contaminate ground water supplies.
Most reports have urged homeowners to keep using the bulbs because their energy-saving benefits far outweigh the risk posed by mercury release from any broken light. In fact, advocates of ending mercury pollution support the use of CFLs because most mercury pollution comes from fossil-fuel burning power plants. Using CFLs