A display of compact flourescent light (CFL) bulbs is seen at the City Lights Light Bulb Store in San Francisco, Calif., on Jan. 31, 2007. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Ottawa has begun enforcing its ban on the manufacture and import of fluorescent light bulbs, a move it says will reduce the environmental and health risks associated with mercury.
Amendments to the Products Containing Mercury Regulations banning the most commonly used mercury-containing lamps for general lighting took effect on Jan. 1. The measures were first announced in 2024 by then-Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and former Health Minister Mark Holland, who said the changes were needed to eliminate lamps as a source of mercury pollution in Canada and reduce human exposure to the metal.
Bulbs banned as of Jan. 1 include compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), linear fluorescent lamps (LFLs) and non-linear fluorescent lamps.
France Gionet, a spokesperson for the environment department, said there will be a phase-out period to allow retailers time to sell existing stock, as first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter.
“Between 2026 and 2030, the import, manufacture and sale of the most common types of lamps containing mercury will be progressively prohibited in Canada,” Gionet said. “This phase out reflects the evolving lighting technology.”
For transition purposes, the government says replacement lamps–temporary alternatives with lower mercury content–for pin-base CFLs, LFLs and non-linear fluorescent lamps may continue to be manufactured or imported until Dec. 31, 2027. Their sale is expected to be banned by Jan. 1, 2030.
Mercury is a naturally occurring heavy metal. When it combines with other elements, such as carbon, it forms methylmercury, a highly toxic compound that accumulates in living organisms, including fish. Humans are mainly exposed to methylmercury through fish consumption, and the compound poses a particular risk to the central nervous system.
Although fluorescent bulbs are safe to use, they can release mercury if broken, contaminating the room where the break occurs and the wider environment, the government said in announcing the ban in 2024.
“It is crucial that we continue to protect the health of Canadians and their environment, while encouraging businesses to transition to safer alternatives,” Guilbeault said at the time.
Ottawa estimates that by 2035, the fluorescent bulb ban will cut mercury emissions from lamps by 91 percent and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 4.6 megatonnes.
The light bulbs were not always seen as toxic, with the federal government once describing compact fluorescent light bulbs as an energy-saving alternative to mercury-free Edison bulbs. In 2014, it prohibited the importation and manufacture of 75-watt and 100-watt incandescent bulbs in favour of compact fluorescent or LED lights.
“More and more Canadians are replacing regular incandescent light bulbs with more energy-efficient products, such as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs),” Health Canada said in an information sheet, last updated in 2020, adding that broken CFLs pose a low risk to human health.
“While mercury is a highly toxic substance, only a very small amount is used in a CFL, about the amount to cover the tip of a ballpoint pen,” the agency said. “Even when a CFL is broken, there is a very low risk to your health, unless you mishandle it or store it carelessly.”
Parliament in 2017 passed Bill C-238 to regulate the disposal of mercury-containing light bulbs, citing the need to prevent mercury pollution.
Jennifer Cowan contributed to this report.