Mercurial Management of Metals & other Materials

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57564846/treaty-to-reduce-mercury-emissions-signed/ Various nations have now signed a meaningless agreement to reduce mercury emissions, since many of the same, inc. the some of the biggest users of electricity (for, among other things, artificial light) such as the US, UK, & EU, have made incandescent bulbs illegal so that compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), which primarily contain mercury gas instead of the harmless, inert argon present in incandescents, are the only economical alternative. Now CFLs will be produced in massive numbers until LEDs, halogens, or some safer alternative becomes inexpensive enough to compete. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase-out_of_incandescent_light_bulbs