From Wikipedia: "A red herring is a clue or piece of information which is intended to be misleading, or distracting from the actual issue."
http://durhamnc.gov/ich/op/swmd/Documents/mercury_spills.pdf
You have no doubt heard the scare that fluorescent bulbs contain mercury and are a terrible health hazard if they break. The link above shows that this is not the case, and in fact, the reason that environmentalists pushed for them is that even if they are broken at the end of their life (which I have never had happen in 10 years of using them), they prevent the net emissions of very much mercury by decreasing the burning of coal, which is thoroughly contaminated with mercury. Thus, the school of fish we need to worry about is coal and how to stop using it altogether.
Such recurring scares about large-scale environmental programs serve to decrease public understanding of the climate and energy problems that we face. It's unclear whether these red herrings are deliberately planted or happen naturally as paranoid anti-government and anti-authority sentiments force a large segment of the population to gravitate towards any meme that supports their delusions about the malicious intent of authorities.
Compact fluorescent bulbs do have their drawbacks, many of which have been corrected. They do not reach full brightness as fast as incandescent bulbs when you turn them on. They can last 7 years, but sometimes they fail much earlier. The light from them is concentrated in limited bands of light rather than full spectrum, and some people find it less pleasant to work in. However, they are a huge benefit to the environment and, unless you deliberately break them and huff the vapors, they are as safe as rechargeable batteries which contain cadmium and would kill you if you ate them.
These distractions against progressive environmental regulations are a persistent annoyance. The paranoid thinking underlying them may well be our undoing.
http://durhamnc.gov/ich/op/swmd/Documents/mercury_spills.pdf
You have no doubt heard the scare that fluorescent bulbs contain mercury and are a terrible health hazard if they break. The link above shows that this is not the case, and in fact, the reason that environmentalists pushed for them is that even if they are broken at the end of their life (which I have never had happen in 10 years of using them), they prevent the net emissions of very much mercury by decreasing the burning of coal, which is thoroughly contaminated with mercury. Thus, the school of fish we need to worry about is coal and how to stop using it altogether.
Such recurring scares about large-scale environmental programs serve to decrease public understanding of the climate and energy problems that we face. It's unclear whether these red herrings are deliberately planted or happen naturally as paranoid anti-government and anti-authority sentiments force a large segment of the population to gravitate towards any meme that supports their delusions about the malicious intent of authorities.
Compact fluorescent bulbs do have their drawbacks, many of which have been corrected. They do not reach full brightness as fast as incandescent bulbs when you turn them on. They can last 7 years, but sometimes they fail much earlier. The light from them is concentrated in limited bands of light rather than full spectrum, and some people find it less pleasant to work in. However, they are a huge benefit to the environment and, unless you deliberately break them and huff the vapors, they are as safe as rechargeable batteries which contain cadmium and would kill you if you ate them.
These distractions against progressive environmental regulations are a persistent annoyance. The paranoid thinking underlying them may well be our undoing.
