Pesticide Exposure Resources

1. Prepare and get notifications! You can sign up for alerts from various government agencies, particularly if you live near a private or state forest.

If you live near agriculture, your best bet is to contact your neighbors and ask if they can notify you before spraying.

If you live along a highway or county road, contact your county's Public Works Department to learn when they're spraying roadsides and if you can opt out. You can contact ODOT to get on a notification list for spraying along state highways.

 

2. Protect yourself. If you know of an upcoming spray, make a plan to shelter or leave the area if you believe you are in harm's way.

You can also protect yourself, your family, and your pets or livestock by taking some simple measures:

• Shut all windows and doors

• Turn off your HVAC system

• Bring children and pets indoors

• Put livestock in barns

• Cover play equipment and gardens

• Replace pet or livestock water if open when spray occured

 

3. If you have been exposed, take precautionary actions!

• If you are experiencing symptoms, call the Oregon Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 and follow their instructions. You can also call the National Pesticide Information Center at 1-800-858-7378 for information.

• Remove clothing and shower immediately. Shower for at least 15 minutes and wash your hair. If you are sweating, shower repeatedly. Place your clothing in a clean, sealed container or bag.

• Drink a lot of water over the following 5 days to help flush chemicals out of your system. Do not drink the water if you get your water from a surface source such as an artesian spring or stream near or downhill from the sprayed area for a few days.

If you are feeling ill, go to the nearest Emergency Room or Urgent Care, or visit your primary care provider!

• Report that you have been exposed to chemicals.

• Suggest blood/urine samples be taken.

• If you have rashes or other signs of pesticide exposure, ask medical staff to document this with photos and chart notes.

• Take your own photos and videos to document physical symptoms such as red eyes, rashes, vomiting, etc. Make sure you have time stamps of the photos/videos.

 

4. Seek medical treatment as soon as possible! It is Oregon State Law that a medical provider must report a known or suspected pesticide exposure to the Oregon Health Authority. Have a written/photographic record of symptoms and reactions.

 

5. Observe and record damage as soon as possible. Some damage may become apparent days or weeks later.

• Vegetation: Look for damage to your plants like curled or elongated leaves or brown areas.

• Pets/livestock: Nausea/vomiting, tremors/seizures, loss of balance, inability to stand, vision problems, lethargy, extreme thirst, loss of appetite.

• Take pictures and videos and keep handwritten notes with dates, times, and location. Get other witnesses when possible for corroboration.

• Talk with your neighbors and encourage them to follow the above steps.

 

6. Collect environmental samples and contact labs. They can give you proper protocol for collecting and submitting samples. Click here for a list of analytical labs serving Oregon.

In some situations, after you file a pesticide complaint, the Department of Agriculture may collect vegetation samples or swabs from objects for laboratory analysis to determine the presence/extent of uncontrolled pesticide drift.

In certain situations you may want/need to collect your own water or vegetation samples to determine the presence of pesticides at your own expense. Environmental Sampling can be expensive and samples must be carefully collected in a timely manner and stored/transported properly for accurate results.

Always contact the laboratory you plan to use for the cost of testing and instructions on how to collect your sample and submit for analysis.

 

7. File a complaint as soon as possible. All pesticide complainants receive a response from a state agency within 24 hours. You will be asked by a staff person if you are seeking information or filing a complaint. You must state clearly that you are "filing a pesticide complaint."

It is your right to ask for a case number and to ask when you should expect an investigator to contact you.

 

8. Request the Spray Application Record from a state agency. This will tell you, and any medical professional you consult with, what you were exposed to. You or your doctor can make this request.

The Spray Application Record contains the following information:

• Location of spray

• Active ingredients, adjuvants, surfacants

• Amount of active ingredient and adjuvant applied

• Carrier

• Date

• Time of spray

• temperature

• Wind speed and direction at time of spray

• Name of pesticide applicator/company

• Mode of application (aerial, ground, backpack, etc)

 

9. Report losses. If you think you, your family, your livestock, pets, or property have been damaged by pesticide exposure, file a Report of Loss form within 60 days of the pesticide application or your discovery of the loss.

If the loss deals with a growing crop, you must file before 50% of the affected crop is harvested.

Click here for a Report of Alleged Loss Due to Pesticides form.

 

10. Contact all the responsible people on the Forestry Notification Form! Talk with them, walk the property, demand no spraying, and ask for a good neighbor agreement to prevent pesticide drift incidents.

You can call the company who owns the land or is in charge of the pesticide spray and askf or any of the following "good neighbor agreements."

• Ask the company to substitute a ground spray for an aerial or ATV spray. Many companies will honor your request because there is less change of aerial drift onto private property, gardens, drinking water, streams, and habitats.

• Oregon law requires a minimum 300 foot no-spray buffer for homes and schoos, drinking water, and fish-bearing streams. Ask for the company to do more as a "good neighbor" and request a 500 yard buffer and that spraying only commence when wind is blowing away from your property.

• Sign up for forestry herbicide spray notifications on ODF's notification website, FERNS. Ask those who plan to spray for 24-48 hours notice so you have a change to leave your property or take other precautions.

It is also a good idea to take photos and videos of healthy vegetation before spraying begins. Let the company know that you appreciate any efforts to work together as good neighbors, but that you have also taken "before spray" samples and are ready to file a complaint in the event of pesticide drift.

 

10 Steps to Take if You Are Affected by Herbicide Drift - Detailed (PDF)