Comment Re:Colored Incandescent Bulb (Score 1) 196
Fluorescent bulbs do contain mercury, but coal plants also emit mercury. Using a fluorescent bulb instead of an incandescent may mean less mercury goes into the environment, because it requires less power and therefore less coal needs to be burned to power them. They also don't break often. I've never had one break and I've used perhaps 100 CFL bulbs. They often do take a while to reach full brightness, though.
I've bought some LED bulbs recently and we've been very satisfied with the light. They reach full brightness in less than a second and I haven't noticed any flicker or spectrum problems. Each bulb is expensive, but they last so long and use so little power they're generally the cheapest in the long run.