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Lighting company Sylvania's micro-mini-energy-saver compact fluorescent bulbs have a few novel things going for them, but one of the more interesting is that they hold far less mercury than most CFLs.
The bulbs contain only 1.5 milligrams of mercury, whereas most CFLs have about five, according to Stephanie Anderson, Sylvania's chief corporate spokesperson. That's because the mercury is encased in a metal sphere -- conventional CFLs deploy mercury in its natural liquid state. Granted, it's still a pain to get rid of a CFL, but less mercury means fewer toxins.
Anderson also points out that the bulbs are smaller than the usual CFL. The one above is standard, and the tubes jut out in small legs and then start swirling. In Sylvania's bulbs, the tubes begin to swirl as they comes out of the base. The 60-watt equivalent CFL bulbs consume just 13 watts.
Although CFL sales are climbing, the bulbs still only account for about 12 percent of bulb sales, she says.
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