Category Archives: Health & Safety

A lawsuit filed earlier this month by former forestry worker Joaquin Barraza-Cortes seeks over $42 million in damages from Ponderosa Reforestation, Ponderosa Timberland and Pine West Reforestation. The complaint accuses those Rogue Valley forestry companies, which hire foreign workers through the H-2B visa program, of a litany of safety violations including not providing proper training and protective equipment. In 2022, Barraza-Cortes was hired as a foreign seasonal worker for tree thinning work within the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. While using a chainsaw, without formal training according to the lawsuit, he was severely injured by a falling tree limb, resulting in a spinal cord injury. The complaint claims that Barraza-Cortes has since been unable to work or care for himself. Barraza-Cortes’ former employer, Ponderosa Timberland, declined to comment on the lawsuit.

SEATTLE – The wildfire smoke that blankets much of the American West each summer is likely more harmful than previously understood, especially to older people, scientists found. Research announced this week, and led by scientists at the University of Washington, discovered that prolonged exposure to the ultrafine particles in wildfire smoke heightens the risk of dementia for those 60 and older. …Joan Casey, an environmental epidemiologist at the University of Washington said, not only are older people at risk with the increasing exposure to wildfire smoke, but so too are those who can’t access air quality warnings, afford filtration or avoid outdoor exposure throughout the fire season. Casey partnered with scientists from the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, the University of California in San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco. …Dementia isn’t the only risk associated with wildfire smoke. Those with prolonged exposure could also suffer from respiratory or cardiovascular problems.

In southwestern Oregon… the logging industry has shaped and sustained families here for generations. A lack of other well-paying jobs in rural parts of the state have made logging one of the most promising career paths. It also comes with grave risk. Mostly employed in densely forested pockets of the Pacific Northwest and the South, loggers have the highest rate of fatal on-the-job injuries of any civilian occupation in the nation, outpacing roofers, hunters and underground mining machine operators. About 100 of every 100,000 logging workers die from work injuries, compared with four per 100,000 for all workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. “There is a mix of physical factors — heavy equipment and, of course, the massive trees,” said Marissa Baker, a professor of occupational health at the University of Washington. “Couple that with steep terrain and unforgiving weather and the rural aspect of the work, and it leads to great danger.” [to access the full story a NY Times subscription is required]

Investigators from the government and social media have spent months trying to find out where a mystery smell that swept through Southwest Washington on its way to Portland in September originated. Washington’s Department of Ecology confirmed Wednesday it had a likely answer for part of the stink: the Smurfit Westrock paper mill in Longview, Washington. Longview is home to several paper mills and wood pulp facilities that use sulfur-based compounds to break down wood products. In October, Westrock said it didn’t believe it contributed to the smell that had concerned residents in the roughly 60-mile stretch between Longview and Portland. …While the answer does not definitively point the finger at Westrock for the odd odor, the Ecology Department said it could say for certain that the company did not emit chemicals in concentrated enough amounts to threaten human health or the environment.

Fort Collins, CO — A team of researchers from Colorado State University is recruiting 100 active male wildland firefighters for a two-year study of the reproductive health effects of wildfire smoke. Lead researcher Luke Montrose, an assistant professor in CSU’s Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, previously found a link between wildfire smoke exposure and altered sperm in mice. For the new study, the researchers will examine semen samples taken from participants before, during and after the wildfire season to look at sperm count, motility and evidence of epigenetic changes. In addition, the team plans to produce targeted messaging on reproductive health for workers in the wildland firefighting field. Such messaging has “historically been generic and needs to improve,” researcher Ashley Anderson, associate professor in CSU’s Department of Journalism and Media Communication, said in a press release.

TUMWATER, Washington — The floor and equipment in a Spokane Valley sawmill were blanketed by sawdust so thick, it looked like it had snowed inside the building. That’s what a Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) inspector found when walking through several buildings at Fox Lumber Sales. The company faces more than $126,000 in fines for 61 safety and health violations after being cited by the L&I last month. Fox Lumber buys leftover wood, cuts it down, and sells it for pallet parts, wood stakes and other uses. The process creates a lot of highly combustible sawdust. Normally, the dust is sucked up by a collection system, but photos taken by L&I inspectors showed piles up to five inches deep. The allowable amount of sawdust accumulation is 1/8 inch. Inspectors also found several space heaters plugged in, sitting on top of sawdust, creating a significant fire danger. …The company is appealing the citations and fines. 

Oregon’s deputy forester was fired last week after an investigation determined he had a sexual relationship with a subordinate for about two years. Mike Shaw, the second highest ranking official at the state Department of Forestry, had been on paid administrative leave since Aug. 6. His last day with the agency was Thursday, according to a letter State Forester Cal Mukumoto sent Shaw. …“In making this decision, although it is not necessary to list any specific grounds, I considered factors that include my responsibility as agency head to safeguard the interests of this agency and make leadership decisions in alignment with the agency’s mission and my strategic goals,” Mukumoto told Shaw. …A former Forestry manager earlier this year complained about Shaw, alleging he and another agency manager undermined diversity and inclusion efforts by sidelining her. That complaint does not appear to be tied to Shaw’s termination.

Bob Sallinger

Bob Sallinger, a longtime environmental activist involved in numerous conservation efforts across Oregon, died Thursday. He was 57 years old. For decades, Sallinger was the face of various conservation efforts throughout Portland and the rest of the state. He frequently appeared in local news stories about those efforts, whether it was peregrine falcons on the Fremont Bridge or raising concerns about a new baseball stadium. A graduate of Reed College, Sallinger worked for three decades with the Bird Alliance of Oregon, formerly known as the Portland Audubon Society, most notably as its conservation director. …That includes fighting to protect peregrine falcons nesting on the Fremont Bridge and other bridges across Portland. Today, the Fremont Bridge has one of the most productive falcon nests in Oregon. …Many of his efforts sprang from his passion for wild birds, especially protecting marbled murrelets and the northern spotted owl, the latter of which is a threatened species.

Companies supplying the U.S. Forest Service with wildfire suppressants may have been hiding various heavy metals present in their formula, according to an ongoing study. Materials used in suppressants, including fire retardants, water enhancers, and foams, all have to be approved by the U.S. Forest Service, according to study author, Daniel McCurry, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. However, the companies supplying the suppressants don’t have to disclose up to 20% of their product formulas, keeping them “trade secrets” under law. Researchers from the USC’s Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering discovered much of the “trade secrets” could be toxic heavy metals. The team tested numerous wildfire suppressants and found they have released ~850,000 pounds of toxic metals into the environment in the Western United States from 2009-2021. …Researchers estimated the heavy metal amounts using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometers. 

U.S. Forest Service officials are seeking information about the person or group that has been placing homemade spike strips and other dangerous traps across roads and trails in remote southwest Oregon. The federal agency said that in addition to spike strips, meant to puncture tires, there have also been wires across roads and trails reported in the Taylor Creek and Shan Creek areas of Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. “Reports have stated that the boards that hold the spikes have been covered with leaves, so it may be difficult to see them,” a Facebook post from the national forest said on Monday. Some on social media indicated the issue has been an ongoing problem.

PORTLAND, Oregon — PNW residents are still on pins and needles wanting to find out what caused the ‘big stink’ in September – and some are pointing fingers at a Southwest Washington paper pulp mill, according to the Washington State Department of Ecology. …Brittny Goodsell, Southwest Region Office (SWRO) Communications Manager, named WestRock Mill as the facility locals are questioning as the culprit. WestRock is a wood pulp mill that specializes in pulp and paper products. …“We’re aware this idea is out there, but we haven’t reached a conclusion about whether the WestRock Mill in Longview was involved in the odor.” …The stink was first reported in late September, sweeping through Clark County and down into the Portland metro area. Multiple emergency sources said they’d received reports of eye and throat irritation, as well as headaches, that were possibly related to the smell.

CAMAS, Washington — Washington state authorities have fined one of the world’s leading paper and pulp companies nearly $650,000 after one of its employees was crushed by a packing machine earlier this year. The penalty comes after Dakota Cline, 32, was killed on March 8 while working on a machine at Georgia-Pacific’s paper mill in Camas, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Portland, Oregon, The Columbian reported. The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries said Wednesday it cited and fined Georgia-Pacific in August for violating fundamental safety rules that directly contributed to Cline’s death. Management and workers told inspectors that permanent safety guards on the machine Cline was working on were taken off in 2017. The safety guards were replaced with a fence around the machine, but the fence didn’t stop people from getting too close to dangerous parts that could cause serious injury or death. …Georgia-Pacific is appealing the department’s decision.