Research document
The vast majority of electricity distribution poles worldwide are made of wood. To extend their lifespan and improve their resistance to various types of aggression (insects, weathering, humidity), these poles are impregnated with fungicides and insecticides, often dangerous to human health and the environment.
Of these, creosote, a by-product of steelmaking and derived from coal, is the most widespread. Its impact on human health (it is carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic) and the environment (it is highly toxic to aquatic organisms) has led the European Commission to ban it.
