Health and Environment

Wishing to keep customers well informed and concerned about the potential environmental impacts of the products it is promoting, Hydro-Québec asked the Interuniversity Research Centre for the Life Cycle of Products, Processes and Services (CIRAIG) to undertake a comparative life-cycle analysis of incandescent and compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs). Here are the main conclusions of the analysis:

• Using CFLs remains the best option in the Québec context.
• For the roughly 16% of households that heat with oil and natural gaz, CFLs are the best choice during warm and neutral seasons, which represent 36% of a typical year in Québec.
• The amount of mercury in CFLs does not pose a significant threat to human health or the environment.

Mercury in CFLs

One compact fluorescent lightbulb (CFL) contains roughly 3 mg of mercury, which is approximately the amount it would take to cover the tip of a ballpoint pen. This is 20% of the amount in a watch battery and only 1% of the amount in an old thermometer.

So long as it is intact, a CFL does not release any mercury during use.

Is the emission of mercury from a broken CFL bulb dangerous to your health? According to the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), which issued an advisory on the matter in the spring of 2009, a broken CFL bulb poses a minimal health risk. However, if you should break a CFL, the INSPQ recommends disposing of the debris and cleaning up the room where the bulb was broken, making sure to take certain precautions [In French only].

How should you dispose of a CFL at the end of its service life?

Recycling of CFLs presents new challenges, and precautions must be taken when a CFL is broken. It bears noting, however, that 98% of CFL components are recyclable. To learn more about this or to find out about collection points in your area, go to www.recycfluo.ca.

Electric and magnetic fields and CFLs

The strength of the magnetic fields of the vast majority of personal appliances drops off quickly with distance. The field is very weak, even within close range of a bulb that is turned on. It is important to remember that people actually spend very little time within 30 cm of a lit CFL. This document measures the average magnetic field emitted at various distances from the source.

The findings of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Health Canada are reassuring. The levels of exposure to electric and magnetic fields (EMFs), even those near a CFL, are significantly lower than the limits recommended by international organizations and Health Canada. EMFs are strongest when close to their source. As you move away from the source, the strength of the fields fades rapidly.

For some years now, certain people have claimed to suffer from hypersensitivity to electricity, attributing health problems to various types of electric and magnetic fields. Initial complaints were associated with computer screens; others, with cellular phones. Now there are complaints related to compact fluorescent bulbs. Several studies have looked at hypersensitivity, and the results have shown that the symptoms of those suffering from it are not caused by electricity.

What about cancer risks?

There have been numerous studies on the cancer risk presented by EMFs, and to date, none have proven that there is indeed such a risk. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified electromagnetic fields of 50 or 60 Hz as "possibly carcinogenic," but there is little evidence that they definitely cause cancer. This category represents the lowest possible risk, and includes such items as coffee and titanium dioxide, the pigment which gives toothpaste its colour.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from CFCs

As stated by Health Canada, "the amount of UV radiation produced [by CFLs] is so small that it is not considered hazardous to your health." As a precaution, however, you should avoid hours of exposure at a distance of less than 30 cm from a lightbulb.