Research

Hydro-Québec has helped to advance knowledge about EMFs through its own research. It has conducted a number of studies with universities, the Montréal Heart Institute, the Lawson Health Research Institute, Health Canada and other power utilities, including Électricité de France, Ontario Hydro, BC Hydro and the Bonneville Power Administration in Portland, Oregon.

Hydro-Québec's main research publications on the health impacts of electric and magnetic fields from 1988 to 2020

Source: Direction Principale – Santé, Sécurité et Environnement d'Hydro‑Québec

Joint epidemiological study by Hydro‑Québec, Ontario Hydro and Électricité de France on the long‑term effects of exposure to 50- and 60‑Hz electric and magnetic fields

Theriault G, Goldberg M, Miller AB, Armstrong B, Guenel P, Deadman JE, Imbernon E, To T, Chevalier A, Cyr D. 1994. Cancer risks associated with occupational exposure to magnetic fields among electric utility workers in Ontario and Quebec, Canada, and France: 1970‑1989. Am J Epidemiol. 139 (6): 550-572.

Deadman JE, Camus M, Armstrong BG, Heroux P, Cyr D, Plante M, Theriault G. 1988. Occupational and residential 60‑Hz electromagnetic fields and high-frequency electric transients: exposure assessment using a new dosimeter. Am Ind Hyg Assoc J. 49 (8): 409-419.

Kheifets LI, Gilbert ES, Sussman SS, Guenel P, Sahl JD, Savitz DA, Theriault G. 1999. Comparative analyses of the studies of magnetic fields and cancer in electric utility workers: studies from France, Canada, and the United States. Occup Environ Med. 56 (8): 567-574.

Turgeon A, Bourdages M, Levallois P, Gauvin D, Gingras S, Deadman JE, Goulet DL, Plante M. 2004. Experimental validation of a statistical model for evaluating the past or future magnetic field exposures of a population living near power lines. Bioelectromagnetics. 25 (5): 374-379.

Deadman JE, Armstrong BG, Theriault G. 1996. Exposure to 60-Hz magnetic and electric fields at a Canadian electric utility. Scand J Work Environ Health. 22 (6): 415-424.

Deadman JE, Church G, Bradley C, Armstrong BG, Theriault G. 1997. Task-based estimation of past exposures to 60-hertz magnetic and electric fields at an electrical utility. Scand J Work Environ Health. 23 (6): 440-449.

Long-term study in animals on the carcinogenic potential of 60-Hz magnetic fields

Maruvada PS, Harvey SM, Jutras P, Goulet D, Mandeville R. 2000. A magnetic field exposure facility for evaluation of animal carcinogenicity. Bioelectromagnetics. 21 (6): 432- 438.

Tremblay L, Houde M, Mercier G, Gagnon J, Mandeville R. 1996. Differential modulation of natural and adaptive immunity in Fischer rats exposed for 6 weeks to 60 Hz linear sinusoidal continuous-wave magnetic fields. Bioelectromagnetics. 17 (5): 373-383.

Mandeville R, Franco E, Sidrac-Ghali S, Paris-Nadon L, Rocheleau N, Mercier G, Desy M, Devaux C, Gaboury L. 2000. Evaluation of the potential promoting effect of 60 Hz magnetic fields on N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea induced neurogenic tumors in female F344 rats. Bioelectromagnetics. 21 (2): 84-93.

Mandeville R, Franco E, Sidrac-Ghali S, Paris-Nadon L, Rocheleau N, Mercier G, Desy M, Gaboury L. 1997. Evaluation of the potential carcinogenicity of 60 Hz linear sinusoidal continuous-wave magnetic fields in Fischer F344 rats. FASEB J. 11 (13): 1127-1136.

In vitro studies on the effect of magnetic and electric fields on wound healing

Dube J, Rochette-Drouin O, Levesque P, Gauvin R, Roberge CJ, Auger FA, Goulet D, Bourdages M, Plante M, Moulin VJ, Germain L. 2012. Human keratinocytes respond to direct current stimulation by increasing intracellular calcium: Preferential response of poorly differentiated cells. J Cell Physiol. 227 (6): 2660-2667.

Study on the perception of electric fields and atmospheric ions in human volunteers

Chapman CE, Blondin JP, Lapierre AM, Nguyen DH, Forget R, Plante M, Goulet D. 2005. Perception of local DC and AC electric fields in humans. Bioelectromagnetics. 26 (5): 357-366.

Blondin JP, Nguyen DH, Sbeghen J, Goulet D, Cardinal C, Maruvada PS, Plante M, Bailey WH. 1996. Human perception of electric fields and ion currents associated with high‑voltage DC transmission lines. Bioelectromagnetics. 17 (3): 230-241.

Study on the effect of electric and magnetic fields on melatonin secretion in individuals living near high-voltage lines

Levallois P, Dumont M, Touitou Y, Gingras S, Masse B, Gauvin D, Kroger E, Bourdages M, Douville P. 2001. Effects of electric and magnetic fields from high‑power lines on female urinary excretion of 6‑sulfatoxymelatonin. Am J Epidemiol. 154 (7): 601‑609

Levallois P, Gauvin D, Gingras S, St‑Laurent J. 1999. Comparison between personal exposure to 60 Hz magnetic fields and stationary home measurements for people living near and away from a 735 kV power line. Bioelectromagnetics. 20 (6): 331‑337

Turgeon A, Bourdages M, Levallois P, Gauvin D, Gingras S, Deadman JE, Goulet DL, Plante M. 2004. Experimental validation of a statistical model for evaluating the past or future magnetic field exposures of a population living near power lines. Bioelectromagnetics. 25 (5): 374‑379

Study on the effect of high-intensity magnetic fields on the neurophysiological functions of human volunteers

Bouisset N, Villard S, Legros A. 2020. Human Postural Control Under High Levels of Extremely Low Frequency Magnetic Fields. IEEE Access (IEEE), DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2997643.

Bouisset, Villard S, Legros A. 2020. Human Postural Responses to High Vestibular Specific Extremely Low-Frequency Magnetic Stimulations. IEEE Access (IEEE), DOI: 10.1109/access.2020.3022554.

Modolo J, Hassan M, Ruffini G, Legros A. 2020. Probing the circuits of conscious perception with magnetophosphenes, Journal of Neural Engineering. DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ab97f7.

Villard S, Allen A, Bouisset N, Corbacio M, Thomas A, Guerraz M, Legros A. 2018. Impact of Extremely Low-Frequency Magnetic Fields on Human Postural Control. Exp Brain Res. DOI: 10.1007/s00221‑018‑5442‑9.

Davarpanah Jazi S, Modolo J, Thomas AW, Legros A. 2017. Effects of a 60 Hz magnetic field of up to 50 milliTesla on human tremor and EEG. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(12). DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14121446.

Modolo J, Thomas AW, Legros A. 2017. Human exposure to power frequency magnetic fields up to 7.6 mT: An integrated EEG/fMRI study. Bioelectromagnetics, 38(6):425‑435. DOI: 10.1002/bem.22064.

Allen A, Modolo J, Corbacio M, Thomas AW, Legros A, Souques M, Lambrozo J, Goulet D, Plante M, Ostiguy G, Deschamps F. 2015. Impact of electromagnetic fields on human vestibular system and standing balance: Pilot results and future developments. IEEE Radio and Antenna Days of the Indian Ocean (RADIO). IEEE, 2015: 1‑2.

Legros A, Modolo J, Brown S, Robertson J, Thomas AW. 2015. Effects of a 60 Hz magnetic field exposure up to 3000 μT on human brain activation as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging. PlosOne, 2015, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132024. [PMCID: PMC4516358]

Souques M, Plante M, Ostiguy G, Goulet D, Deschamps F, Mezei G, Modolo J, Lambrozo J, Legros A. 2014. Anecdotal Report of Magnetophosphene Perception in Magnetic Fields of 50 mT at Frequencies of 20, 50 and 60 Hz / Rapport anectodique de la perception des magnétophophènes dans un champ magnétique de 50 mT à 20, 50 et 60 Hz. Radioprotection. 49 (1):69‑71.

Legros A, Miller J, Modolo J, Corbacio M, Robertson J, Goulet D, Lambrozo J, Plante M, Souques M, Prato FS, Thomas AW. 2013. Efeitos de campos eletromagneticos no sistema nervoso humano. Electricidade Moderna. 475: 94‑105.

Modolo J, Thomas AW, Legros A. 2013. Neural mass modeling of power‑line magnetic fields effects on brain activity. Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience. 7(34):1‑15. [PMID: 23596412]

Modolo J, Thomas AW, Legros A. 2013. Possible mechanisms of synaptic plasticity modulation by 60 Hz magnetic fields. Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine. 32(2):137‑144. [PMID: 23675616]

Legros A, Corbacio M, Beuter A, Modolo J, Goulet D, Prato FS, Thomas AW. 2012. Neurophysiological and behavioral effects of a 60 Hz, 1800 microtesla magnetic field in humans. Eur J Appl Physiol. 112:1751-1762. [PMID: 21894451]

Legros A, Miller J, Modolo J, Corbacio M, Robertson J, Goulet D, Lambrozo J, Plante M, Souques M, Prato FS, Thomas AW. 2011. Multi-modalities investigation of 60 Hz magnetic field effects on the human central nervous system. Electra. 256: 4‑18.

Corbacio M, Brown S, Dubois S, Beuter A, Prato FS, Thomas AW, Legros A. (2011) Human Cognitive Performance in a 3mT Power-Line Frequency Magnetic Field. Bioelectromagnetics, 32(8): 620-633. [PMID: 21544842]

Legros A, Corbacio M, Beuter A, Goulet D, Lambrozo J, Plante M, Souques M, Prato FS, Thomas AW. 2010. Human exposure to a 60 Hz, 1800 microtesla magnetic field: a neurobehavioral study / Exposition humaine à un champ magnétique de 1800 μT à 60 Hz : une étude neurocomportementale. Revue de l'Électricité et de l'Électronique (REE). 5: 44‑55.

Pavlov AN, Tupitsyn AN, Legros A, Beuter A, Mosekilde E. 2007. Using wavelet analysis to detect the influence of low frequency magnetic fields on human physiological tremor. Physiol Meas 28(3): 321‑33. [PMID: 17322595]

Legros A, Beuter A. 2006. Individual subject sensitivity to ELF MF. NeuroToxicology, 27(4): 534-46. [PMID: 16620992]

Legros A, Gaillot P, Beuter A. 2006. Transient effect of low‑intensity magnetic field on human motor control.
Med Eng Phys. 28(8): 827-36. [PMID: 16546433]

Legros A, Beuter A. 2005. Effect of a low intensity MF on human motor behavior. Bioelectromagnetics. 26(8): 657‑69. [PMID: 16189826]

Potential interference of radiofrequency meters on heart implants

Ostiguy G, Black T, Bluteau LJ, Dupont L, Dyrda K, Girard G, Nguyen DH, Plante M, Thibault B. Smart Meters and Routers Radiofrequency Disturbances Study with Pacemakers and Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol. 36 (11): 1417‑1426.

Video (2013): Electric and magnetic fields: A Québec study

In this field, experimental studies on animals have played an important role because scientists can expose animals to very high magnetic fields under controlled conditions.

One of the very first studies of this kind was conducted here in Québec. It was led by Dr. Rosemonde Mandeville from the Institut Armand‑Frappier. She explains the results of the study in this video: