Today’s JLF newsletter about environmental issues highlights new hazards of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), of which we’re only just becoming aware. It has me thinking.
The risks associated with CFLs are serious. They contain mercury, which is toxic. It’s not a big deal as long as the bulbs don’t break, but who doesn’t break light bulbs? And now scientists are discovering that they also give off UV rays, which can cause skin cancer. I wear sunscreen to protect myself from those rays when I’m at the beach, so I really don’t want to be bombarded with it all day every day in my home and at work. And yet, if the government gets its way, I won’t be able to avoid it.
This is just another example of the problems with intrusive government regulations. The government’s not trying to kill us all by mandating the use of CFLs, but they’re working with incomplete knowledge, and thereby opening us all up to unforeseen consequences. When those unforeseen consequences may include higher rates of skin cancer among millions of Americans, perhaps it’s time to accept that, despite the best intentions, regulations can be seriously harmful.
