Ok, I have to admit I went a little over the top there with that headline. Nonetheless, it seems that LCD TVs could soon become an environmental hazard when people start sending them to the landfills to replace them with shiny new models.

For now, they’re not really dangerous, but eventually, when people start dumping them in their garbage bins, a deadly gas named Nitrogen Trifluoride (NF3) contained in LCD panels will start dissipating in the environment. NF3 is apparently 17,200 worse than carbon dioxide when it comes to trapping heat in the atmosphere. And on top of this, it seems that the gas is highly harmful to the liver and kidneys if inhaled. Better be careful next time you decide to smash that LCD display while inside your house.

[Via CrunchGear]