JOHN LOTT ON compact fluorescent bulbs and mercury. The danger is real, but minor, as noted here and here.

UPDATE: John Lott emails: “The point of my piece was to go through the rules advised by the EPA itself on how to handle these bulbs. Whether one thinks the EPA is correct or not, the point is that if even a fraction of people follow these rules, you will be imposing really big costs on users.” That’s true, though I predict that these rules will be extensively ignored.