Have you heard the story about the $2,000 light bulb incident?

It’s a pretty good one, though the moral of the story is a little vague.

It started in March when a mother in Prospect named Brandy Bridges dropped a compact fluorescent bulb in her daughter’s bedroom and it broke on the shag carpet. Now state and federal officials are sealing themselves up in makeshift laboratories and breaking lots of the bulbs in the name of science and saving face.

The decision about whether or not to buy compact fluorescent bulbs may be getting even easier.

The swirly and super-efficient bulbs already save money, reduce dependence on foreign oil and reduce air pollution from power pants, including gases that contribute to global warming. They’re promoted as a simple, first step for anyone who wants to help slow climate change.

But, as we blogged about several weeks back, they also contain mercury, a neurotoxin that can build up in the food chain and end up in our canned tuna or grilled swordfish.

Now the primary makers of the bulbs have pledged to reduce the small amount mercury contained in them. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer and a leading promoter of the bulbs, announced today that manufacturers will cut an average of 360 pounds of mercury from each 100 million compact fluorescent light bulbs sold. Here's an Associated Press story about it.