Workers poisoned in CFL factories, says paper

A UK newspaper says that China is paying a heavy environmental price for the production of “green” lightbulbs in cost-cutting factories. The article was published in The Sunday Times, a leading national UK newspaper.

The article says that "large numbers of Chinese workers" have been poisoned by mercury, which is found in compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). "A surge in foreign demand, set off by a European Union directive making these bulbs compulsory within three years, has also led to the reopening of mercury mines that have ruined the environment," claims the article.