*Source: MSNBC (
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17831334/)*
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Wal-Mart announced Thursday that its suppliers of compact fluorescent light bulbs have agreed to dramatically reduce the amount of mercury in the energy-saving bulbs.
A CFL bulb can save up to $30 in electric costs over its lifetime, prevent more than 110 pounds of coal from being burned, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 450 pounds, Wal-Mart noted.
But the announcement reflects a fact most consumers probably don't realize about CFLs: unlike the dominant but less-efficient incandescent bulbs, CFLs require mercury, which is poisonous.
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