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He said that regular incandescent lights also contain mercury as well, and that the amount in CFLs is less.
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I think it depends on the exact brand and type used. In general today CFLs have to be recycled carefully. The key thing is that they are a quickly developing technology and are getting greener in thier manufacture. As long as they are correctly recycled you have no worries. There are far more dangerous things out there than CFLs.
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He later said, when I told him of a CFL that burned out, much less then the the touted 9 years, that it was due to it being in the bathroom. When asked to elaborate, he said that CFLs that are turned on for short durations are wear out much quicker, and that the ideal conditions, both for longevity and energy savings, is leaving them on, as in a cafe or some such place.
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I think this is generally correct. In fact, the energy required to switch on a CFL is often higher than that used to leave it running for a few minutes. In many cases it is better to leave it switched on for 5 minutes than to turn it off and on again. This of course varies by the bulb, size and exact type.