Re: LED lighting instead of fluorescent 'haz mat'
Being scientifically literate in the US (rare animal, I know), I cringe at statements like this. The CFLs contain a very small amount of Hg, like 5 mg or less. If one takes into account the amount of power saved over their 3 year lifespan, and translate that into the amount of coal NOT burned to produce the wasted electricity saved, you'll note the Hg emissions avoided from the coal burning would be far GREATER than the 5 mg released if EVERY CFL bulb was smashed on the ground at its EOL.
Clearly the latter is not going to happen much, and if the bulbs are recycled (accepted for free here in the States by home improvement stores), the Hg release is very, very small. If we add in the overall reduction in Hg to our food sources (less Hg pollution to the Atlantic seaboard fisheries), then our overall Hg exposure continues to diminish even with the widespread adoption of the CFLs.
I don't know where Mr. Hawkins resides, but my understanding is that the UK has a history of relying on coal for some power production as well. Brits, to our uninformed American way of thinking, also likely consume some seafood, and maybe even have conservatives that actually conserve (or know the meaning of the root word - another rare animal in the States).
The total cost of ownership of a CFL is at break-even in 3 months in my area, but the TCO of an LED doesn't reach break-even for most consumers until well over 2 years. I like the 'warm' CFLs personally, and look forward to slightly warmer LEDs as they arrive. I'll begin converting to LED only when the TCO break-even drops below 2 years.