Is it dangerous to eat wild berries that have been sprayed with the herbicides used by Hydro-Qubec?
The herbicides used by Hydro-Qubec are applied on a selective basis and are not intended to affect wild berries. However, some berry plants may be affected inadvertently. When gathering time comes, the berries will have a wizened look, or the plants will not produce any berries at all. There is no danger of becoming sick from eating berries gathered in a power line right-of-way after herbicides have been applied. The products used by Hydro-Qubec do not concentrate in the food chain (they are non-bioaccumulating) and decay rapidly when exposed to light and to micro-organisms in the soil. If ingested, they are quickly and naturally excreted through the feces and urine. All the products applied by Hydro-Qubec are approved by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, a federal authority (branch of Health Canada). Hydro-Qubec is fully compliant with the new Pesticides Management Code as well as the guidelines for proper herbicide application set out in the booklet titled Phytocides en milieu i
