Timberland herbicide spraying sickens a community

[jongosch]

Written by Rebecca Clarren

GOLD BEACH, OREGON

It began with the whir of a helicopter and a bad smell and the even worse memories that the smell invoked, memories better left on the other side of the world. Within 24 hours of the incident, Keith Wright had a terrible cough, and blood poured from his mouth onto his naked body, staining the shower pink.

Outside, the October day was gray, the sun having slid off to a better place. The winds, swept aloft by the nearby Pacific Ocean, swirled above the stands of fir trees that rise above the small, clean one-story house. Wright’s uncle, Jack Cox, who lives with him, had a ferocious nosebleed. At the same time, 33 other people, scattered up rabbit-hole roads throughout the valley, suffered in different ways: Strange rashes bloomed on their arms and foreheads, and some victims crouched over the toilet for hours, crippled by sudden diarrhea. Others were struck by nausea, headaches and asthma attacks. Wright, struggling with his own symptoms, was unaware of his neighbors’ troubles. All he knew is that up until the yellow-and-white helicopter flew overhead, he’d felt just fine, working on the carburetor of his ’79 Dodge truck in his front yard.

Over the next several weeks, local doctors and nurses were mystified by the ailments that plagued members of this coastal town, a picturesque spot nestled at the mouth of the Rogue River, where it empties into the Pacific Ocean. Many people stayed sick, or got even sicker. A horse went blind. One dog died.

Here's the link to the full article though I think you either need a subscription or have to find it on the newsstand for now:
http://www.hcn.org/issues/46.19/timberland-herbicide-spraying-sickens-a-community

And here's a couple more links about this situation from the Oregonian:
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2014/10/8_things_you_should_know_about.html
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2014/10/oregon_agencies_blew_off_compl.html

Thankfully we have stricter forestry herbicide regulations here in Washington, but all these reported health problems stemming from these sprays beg a few questions:

1) When all the herbicide "experts" WDFW invited to their meetings kept telling the public things like, herbicides have “no known mode of action in mammals” and that they were “practically nontoxic," were these "experts" totally, unpardonably ignorant, or totally, unforgivably lying?

2) If these herbicides can have such a serious impact on the health of humans and pets who have merely inhaled them on one occasion, what kind of impacts might they be having on our elk, deer and other wildlife that may be ingesting them repeatedly?

3) By eating their meat could those health impacts be passed up the food chain to us?

4) What are we going to do about it?

[lokidog]

 

[t6]

Its time to get a moratorium on this stuff and replace the idiots at WDFW who think its safe or not harmful to the wildlife. 

PS... My guess to #1) Liars    I cannot believe that they are actually that stupid however, its obvious they think we are. 

[Special T]

WOW!

[idahohuntr]

This is an EPA issue, not a state game department issue.  Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act etc...I imagine passing much stricter federal regulations and clamping down on businesses and landowners with those increased federal regulations will help reduce the number and quantity of chemicals in the environment.  If we increase taxes the federal government will be more capable of increasing enforcement and compliance monitoring for new laws as well.

2014 elections really didn't go in a direction that makes me think this is a viable action in the coming 2 years, but if you can rally the Hunt-Wa members to fully support and help elect Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid for 2016 I think it could be a real possibility that we can get more federal regulation and restriction to protect the environment.   

[lokidog]

 

[zwickeyman]

Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Now there's a nice honest group of folks. Just curious where you live Idahohunter? and what do you do for a living? Not that it's any of my business but since your Liberal agendas are posted here I don't think you would mind

[idahohuntr]

It wasn't an endorsement zwickey...I just wanted to lay out in more clear terms what my friends in the herbicide threads are advocating for. 

Are you familiar with the term "sarcasm"?   

[Curly]

It may be an EPA issue, but it doesn't seem like they are willing to address the issue.  I could be wrong though.

Couldn't the OR fish and wildlife department (or whatever they are called) put pressure on the EPA to change the laws for herbicide use?

Just like it seems that WDFW could put pressure on someone to do some studies and change some laws in this state or Federally if necessary.  I don't understand in this day and age how chemicals that are seemingly harmful is not a bigger issue.... 

[KFhunter]

Saying the GOP doesn't care about the environment is the same as saying hunters aren't conservationists.

[JimmyHoffa]

EPA is owned by Monsanto, Syngenta, DOW, etc.

[npaull]

Man I hate this stuff.

I'm OK with smart clear-cutting (away from rivers etc) but the herbicide stuff is terrible, and clearly can't be good for deer. The only GOOD thing about clear cuts is that they help wildlife, but if they are going to use herbicides on all the clearcuts and prevent the variety of vegetation from growing which actually supports the wildlife, then we should just stop clearcutting alltogether!

I say allow carefully managed clear-cuts, but DON'T herbicide the clearings.

[KFhunter]

Man I hate this stuff.

I'm OK with smart clear-cutting (away from rivers etc) but the herbicide stuff is terrible, and clearly can't be good for deer. The only GOOD thing about clear cuts is that they help wildlife, but if they are going to use herbicides on all the clearcuts and prevent the variety of vegetation from growing which actually supports the wildlife, then we should just stop clearcutting alltogether!

I say allow carefully managed clear-cuts, but DON'T herbicide the clearings.

Burn baby Burn!

[idahohuntr]

Related to what I posted earlier...a lot of folks seeking more federal regulation and environmental protection to limit private industry and landowners are going to meet some resistance.  Although President Obama may be able to use executive actions to address the issue?
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/e2-wire/223398-senate-gop-steeling-for-battle-against-the-epa
Senate Republicans are gearing up for a war against the Obama administration’s environmental rules, identifying them as a top target when they take control in January.
 
The GOP sees the midterm elections as a mandate to roll back rules from the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies, with Republicans citing regulatory costs they say cripple the economy and skepticism about the cause of climate change.
 
Incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) identified his top priority come January as “to try to do whatever I can to get the EPA reined in.”

[jongosch]

This is an EPA issue, not a state game department issue.

Actually it's not necessary to wait on the EPA to ban or curtail use of these chemicals.  At a special Forest Practices Board meeting in Olympia this summer it was made clear by Robin Schoen-Nessa, a Dept. of Ag. employee in charge of pesticide registration, that she and her department have full authority to discontinue the use of any pesticide regardless of what the EPA decides.  I'm a big proponent of state rights and perhaps it's time that Washington and Oregon lead the way in getting these deadly pesticides banned for good.

Also, this certainly is a state game department issue.  WDFW is charged with protecting our wildlife resources and as far as our elk in SW Washington are concerned, they've done a very crummy job.  In fact, WDFW has expended a great deal of time and energy trying to dispel citizens' belief that herbicides are involved with hoof disease, including relying on herbicide "experts" with connections to big timber and the chemical companies.  Now that it's being shown that these herbicides do in fact endanger mammals such as human beings, dogs and horses, I believe WDFW should be required to reopen the case and conduct some thorough studies on the potential connection between herbicides and hoof disease.  The longer they delay the worse it looks.

And I agree with you KFhunter, we should go back to burning.  Forest fires are natural and if executed properly I think they can actually benefit the environment.  Heck, many of the native tribes used to purposely set forest fires to clear land for big game, huckleberries, etc.  Perhaps we just need sizeable buffers between the fires and population centers to alleviate air quality concerns.

What's very clear is that things need to change, and personally I'm not sitting around waiting for the Republicans or the Democrats to lead the charge.  In my mind the two parties are equally inept, each of them serving corporations and special interests at the expense of people like those sickened down in Oregon.  Meaningful change will come from the citizens - because we demand it.

For a start here's contact info for Robin Schoen-Nessa, Dept of Ag.  Tell her you're pissed off.
(360) 902-1963 / rschoen-nessa@agr.wa.gov