The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) released its exposure investigation for the Carpenter Lane Site. The report was conducted to address community health concerns about potential harmful effects from exposure to pesticides being applied at nearby nurseries.

The exposure investigation sought to determine if pesticide drifted from nurseries onto neighboring residential properties, and if so, whether it posed a health threat to residents. Pesticide drift is the movement of a pesticide through air at the time of application or soon after, to any area other than the one intended.

Based on sampling data, ATSDR concludes that:

• Some pesticide spray may have drifted onto residential properties. However, the source of pesticide spray drift cannot be determined. Pesticides could have originated from local nurseries, other agricultural operations, county roadside maintenance practices and other residential property owners.
• Low levels of pesticides were detected in the soil, surface water and ground water, and surface wipes; however, the concentrations they were detected at were not high enough to pose a health hazard.
• The full public health impact of exposure to pesticide spray drift cannot be determined because:
  • At the time the samples were collected, the concentrations of pesticides detected in soil were unlikely to pose a health hazard to residents. Essential information, such as the original concentration of the pesticide, and location and date of application, is missing or incomplete. That prevents ATSDR from making a definitive assessment of health hazards associated with currently used pesticides detected in residential soil.
  • Because no spraying occurred during periods of air sampling, it is not possible to assess potential health hazards from airborne pesticide exposures.

ATSDR representatives will present the results of the exposure investigation and answer questions at an information session on Tuesday, June 14 at 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Sam Barlow High School, 5105 SE 302nd St., Gresham OR. This meeting is open to the public.

For more information, community members may contact Medical Officer Dr. Robert Johnson or Community Involvement Specialist Loretta Bush, toll-free, at 1-888-422-8737. ATSDR Senior Regional Representative Richard Kauffman also may be contacted at 206-553-2632.

ATSDR, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, evaluates the human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances. Established by Congress in 1980 under the Superfund law, ATSDR conducts public health assessments at each of the sites on the EPA National Priorities List, as well as other sites when petitioned.