Thank you to everyone who attended the April 10th community meeting at the Triangle Grange in Blachly. We are grateful for your continued support of the exposure investigation and for your participation, passion, ideas, questions and comments.
We appreciate you taking time from your busy lives to come and share your perspectives and your insights.
The meeting was videotaped, and can be viewed in its entirety by visiting YouTube . You can also review a copy of the evening's agenda (pdf) and power point presentation (pdf).
Please note: We are still interested in any community data that people would like to share with us, including biomonitoring results and environmental data (air, water, soil, etc.). If you were an original participant in the Dana Barr testing and would like to receive a consent form allowing OHA to review your biomonitoring data, please email: karen.bishop@state.or.us, or call 1-877-290-6767.
Suspension of Spring Sampling:
On March 8th we announced the suspension of the spring 2012 urine and environmental sample collection efforts until further notice. This was a difficult decision to make, but the areas that were slated for application of the two chemicals we can test for in urine (2,4-D and atrazine) are in very remote locations which have very few residents. Despite considerable effort, we were not able to recruit enough participants to ensure that the data resulting from the effort are a valid test of potential exposure among local residents.
We want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who volunteered to be a part of the spring phase of the exposure investigation; we are very grateful for your interest and willingness to support the investigation with your participation. We are in the process of evaluating our options as we move forward. The investigation team remains committed to the long-term goals of investigating if, how, and to what extent residents are being exposed to pesticides from local application practices.
ATSDR EI report released:
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR's) report detailing the results of the August urine sampling (pdf) was released on March 6, 2012. This report describes the sampling results for urine only. Read a shorter summary (pdf).
Updated 4/20/12. Please check back here for periodic updates and announcements.
For more information please call: 1-877-290-6767, or send an e-mail to: karen.bishop@state.or.us
Background:
In the spring of 2011, several residents of the Triangle Lake/ Highway 36 area had their urine analyzed by Emory researcher Dana Barr, for the herbicides 2,4,D & Atrazine. All samples came back positive, which sparked concern among public health officials. For years, citizens have reported health symptoms related to the spraying of herbicides in areas of the coastal mountains that have been logged. The Oregon Department of Forestry asked the Pesticide Analytical Response Center (PARC), of which the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is a co-chair, to look into the matter.
PARC hosted a community meeting on July 14, 2011 at the Blachly grange hall, for which approximately 140 citizens came to learn about the investigation design and voice their thoughts and concerns. The meeting was video-taped and is available to watch on YouTube. Questions and concerns (pdf) were documented by OHA staff.
An exposure investigation (EI) is underway to scientifically investigate whether exposure to these and other herbicides is occurring, and to what extent. OHA is taking the lead in the investigation, and is coordinating with two federal and three state agencies to develop and carry out the EI.
On August 30- 31, 2011, public health workers collected 66 urine samples from 38 households in the Triangle Lake area. The samples were collected in what is termed the "pre-spray" season for herbicide applications on logged forest lands. This was intended to be a baseline assessment, to determine if people are being chronically exposed to 2,4 D and Atrazine. (These are the only two herbicides that have a method for detection in urine.) The overall investigation protocol for the August/September sampling can be found here. (This includes the ATSDR urine sampling protocol as an appendix). The results are detailed in the EI Health Consultation report released on March 6, 2012.
During the week of September 19, 2011 the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) collected environmental samples at the same households where urine sampling occured. EPA & DEQ sampled drinking water, soil, fruits/vegetables, milk, eggs and honey. These environmental samples were analyzed for an entire list of herbicides commonly used in coastal mountain applications. Read EPA's Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) (pdf) for the exposure investigation. The report detailing the environmental results will be released in the summer of 2012. Individual households have already received their personal results.
On November 18, 2011, PARC hosted an Open House at the Triangle Lake High School Gymnasium, where agency staff were on hand to answer questions, obtain community input and provide timelines for the EI's progress.
Dating back to the 1960's, citizens have raised concerns about the health effects of aerial and manual applications of herbicides on coastal mountain forest lands. These health effects include miscarriage, birth defects, and other symptoms reported by community members living in areas where applications occurred. The concerns raised specifically about the connection between miscarriages and 2,4,5 T, were part of EPA's decision to ban the herbicide in 1979. (EPA halts most use of herbicide 2,4,5-T; Science 16 March 1979: Vol. 203 no. 4385 pp. 1090-1091
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