Hydro-Quebec is reassuring Crees that herbicides it sprayed along Route 113 aren’t dangerous to people or animals.
But experts and environmentalists contacted by The Nation say the herbicide used is highly toxic and flammable, and can kill fish, animals and people if exposed in large enough doses. In smaller doses, it can cause birth defects, tumours, reproductive damage, and eye and skin irritation.
Hydro workers sprayed the herbicide Garlon, a formulation of Triclopyr, along a 114-kilometre stretch of road between Lebel-sur-Quévillon and Desmairsville to kill pesky shrubs growing under its power line.
Worried trappers in the area reported plant life changing to a sickly brown colour and wondered if it was still safe to pick blueberries and set rabbit-snares. One trapper said the spraying was done right in front of his cabin.
Everywhere else in Northern Quebec where the spraying was done, Hydro asked local municipalities for their permission before going ahead. Hydro spokesman Michel Defossé said no Cree community was asked for its permission because the spraying was not done on Category I land. He said it stopped 1 km outside the Category I land of Waswanipi. Permission to spray in Category II and III land was given by the James Bay Municipality.
The town of Belcourt, near Senneterre, was the only municipality which refused to grant Hydro permission to spray. A Belcourt official told The Nation Hydro has the manpower to remove shrubs manually and does not need to spray. Local farmers were against the spraying, she said.
Hydro herbicides specialist Stéphane Chapdelaine said Garlon kills plants by making them grow faster and in a disorderly way. He claimed that Crees have no reason to worry. “No, it’s not dangerous for animals,” he said, but added: “We counsel people not to eat blueberries in the week following the spraying. It’s not dangerous, but like all chemicals of this kind it’s better not to have them in your system.”
But according to the Pesticide Action Network, based in San Francisco, Garlon is a hazardous chemical which can harm animals and people.
Drinking 38 grams will kill a human adult, and smaller doses will kill trout, salmon and mammals, says the network. Contact with eyes can lead to eye irritation and even blindness in extreme cases. Skin contact can lead to moderate irritation and even a burn. Breathing it can lead to nausea. The herbicide, which is flammable because it contains kerosene and diesel oil, can remain in conifer needles for a year.
A U.S. government report obtained by The Nation says this herbicide can remain present in the soil for one to six months and can contaminate groundwater. One crew which sprayed the herbicide along forestry roads reported “frequent headaches,” according to the report.
Hydro-Quebec, forestry companies and railways use herbicides to control plant growth on their properties across Quebec. But the practice has sparked a lot of protest.
Margret Grenier, an environmentalist in the Gaspé region, has been fighting Hydro herbicide spraying for 12 years. “They know very well it’s toxic,” she said, adding that she thinks herbicides are to blame for the Gaspé having one of the highest cancer rates in Quebec. “Don’t touch anything. Stay away,” she warns Crees. “It’s all been poisoned.”
