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By Nathan Burchfiel ~Business & Media Institute
What is it about government mandates that curse innovation to failure?
Ethanol turned out to be more environmentally harmful than the fossil fuels it was replacing via federal mandate. Now scientists understand the “green†compact fluorescent light bulbs to be dangerous because they contain mercury.
While scientists couldn’t agree on just how beneficial compact fluorescent light bulbs were, journalists on network news shows had widely agreed that CFLs are a good thing.
“They last 10 times longer and they’re really great for the environment,†Kris Connell of Real Simple Magazine said on “The Early Show†March 10.
Each of the three broadcast networks has featured the bulbs and promoted them as energy-efficient, environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional incandescent bulbs. Journalists and others who support the bulbs touted their benefits but rarely focused on the potential risks.
