Oregon timber herbicide use increased near area of health complaints

By on December 26, 2013
Triangle Lake (Credit: Simon Carrasco, via Flickr)

Triangle Lake (Credit: Simon Carrasco, via Flickr)


State documents revealed that Oregon timber companies increased their use of herbicide in one of the state’s rural counties from 2009-2011, according to the Associated Press.

Environmental health group Beyond Toxics reported that timber companies sprayed herbicide on private forests covering 120 square miles around Triangle Lake in Lane County. Beyond Toxics examined 245 state records, and determined that spraying increased from 1,412 acres in 2009 to 2,199 acres in 2011, or 56 percent over three years.

State and federal agencies began investigating the issue in 2011, prompted by health complaints from the county’s residents. The Oregon Health Authority found the herbicides 2,4-D and atrizine in the urine of all 43 people it tested.

Image: Triangle Lake (Credit: Simon Carrasco, via Flickr)

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