If all the incandescent bulbs sold in Sweden in a year were to be replaced with traditional low-energy bulbs, the amount of mercury in circulation would increase dramatically. This amount would be equivalent to one-fifth of the total mercury emissions in Sweden for a year.
Consumers are replacing their regular incandescent bulbs with low-energy alternatives to an ever-increasing extent. The fact that today's low-energy bulbs contain mercury is seldom mentioned. Mercury and heavy energy consumption are global problems.