How much mercury is in a compact florescent light bulb and how are they safely disposed of?

You are very perceptive, and correct to question the efficiency and safety of the compact fluorescent light. There is about 2 mg of mercury in a cf light (range is from 0.4 to 5 mg). Those lights should be treated as hazardous waste to prevent mercury contamination and poisoning, especially when broken. Seldom does that happen, so the mercury will end up in our homes, air, water and food. Compared to incandescent, they cost about four times as much. They claim that they use one-fourth of the electricity and that they last seven to ten times longer than incandescent bulbs, but actual experience shows that they last only about four times as long, and the electronic circuit heats up when they reach about the half-way point in their life, increasing their electrical consumption beyond that of incandescent bulbs. My cost comparison using practical experience shows that cf lights cost twice as much and pose serious safety risks. Nothing green about them, unless using toxic chartreuse.

http://www.naturalnews.com/031276_fluorescent_ligh...

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/translating-uncle...

They cannot be safely disposed of. Mercury is highly toxic and there is no way to dispose it to keep it out of the environment. This is the best reason why CFL should not be allowed, rather than being forced upon us.