Newer Fluorescents Have Less Mercury, But Recycling Continues to Lag

When Philips Lighting Company first introduced its Alto technology in 1995, the average amount of mercury in a four-foot (1.2 m) T-8 Alto fluorescent lamp was 14 mg. By encapsulating the mercury and creating a chemical barrier coating to prevent absorption of the mercury by the phosphor coating, Philips was able to lower the amount of mercury in its Alto lamps to 3.5 milligrams (mg). In 2007, Philips introduced the Alto II line with 1.7 mg of mercury per four-foot lamp (see Philips Introduces Lower Mercury Fluorescent Lamp).
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