The right kind of bulb?

Both The Sun and The Daily Mail are today offering low-energy light bulbs for free. Neither newspaper mentions that they contain mercury, and neither reprints the advice which Defra gives to anyone who breaks these lights:

“Vacate the room and ventilate it for at least 15 minutes. Do not use a vacuum cleaner, but clean up using rubber gloves and aim to avoid creating and inhaling airborne dust. Sweep up all particles and glass fragments and place in a plastic bag. Wipe the area with a damp cloth, then add that to the bag and seal it. Mercury is hazardous waste and the bag should not be disposed of in the bin. All local councils have an obligation to make arrangements for the disposal of hazardous household waste.”

Curiously, this advice is not even on the light bulbs themselves. Strange, for a nanny government that normally likes to blast warnings everywhere. So what’s up? First, ministers have to be very careful what they admit about mercury which is, outrageously, still be used as a cheap preservative in baby vaccines, dental amalgam and some varieties of the flu jab. Admit it’s dangerous, and they could end up facing mass law suits being levied in America. Next, Defra intends to outlaw normal light bulbs, thus forcing households to take on what it also seems to regard as a toxic waste risk.