Oregon issues first state chemical use report

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Oregon issues first state chemical use report

Last updated August 1, 2008 9:58 a.m. PT

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

EUGENE, Ore. – Potato fields got the biggest dose of the more than 40 million pounds of pesticides and herbicides used in Oregon's farms, forests and fields last year, according to the state's first tabulation of chemical use.

The state Department of Agriculture report showed that a soil fumigant used on potato fields, known as metam-sodium, was by far the most-applied product by weight.

It accounted for 42 percent of the chemicals applied last year.

The report was authorized by the 1999 Legislature to provide more detailed information about the use of toxic chemicals in agriculture, so as to gauge how they affect soil and water quality, but it was delayed by years of political struggle.

The Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides of Eugene pushed for the annual reports.

"Eight years after starting work on this I'm very excited to see the first data," said NCAP's Aimee Code. "I think it will help all of us to better protect our health and clean up our waters."

Terry Witt, executive director of Oregonians for Food and Shelter, said the pesticides are spread over a huge number of acres – about 17 million farm acres alone. Farmers and foresters have been far more sparing with pesticide applications in recent years, he said, in part to save money as prices go up.

"These tools are tested, and I think our people for the most part use them extremely judiciously," said Witt, whose group's mission includes protecting responsible pesticide applicators from over-regulation. "I don't think (the report) should be too alarming."

During the political fight to establish the reporting system, the agriculture industry opposed detailed public disclosure of chemical use in smaller geographic areas, saying that information could be misused.

Katy Coba, director of Oregon's agriculture department, said in a statement that the report doesn't contain many suprises.

"Oregon pesticide use shows similarities with what neighboring California has been finding through their reporting system," she said. "One year's data is interesting, but we hope the reports collected this year and in the future will help provide a more clear picture of trends in Oregon's pesticide use."

Rounding out the top five statewide after metam-sodium were glyphosate at 9 percent of the total weight, copper naphthenate at 7 percent, the soil fumigant 1,3-dichloropropene at 5 percent and the insecticide aliphatic petroleum hydrocarbons at 4 percent.

Agriculture accounted for nearly all of the chemical use with almost 85 percent of the total. That was followed by other at 9 percent and forestry at 3 percent.

The remainder was in right of way, aquatic, general indoor and outdoor, public health and research uses.

According to the report, the state received almost 285,000 reports of herbicide and pesticide use. A total of 551 different chemicals were cited.