West Eugene Community Health
Polluting industries surround homes, schools and parks in West Eugene, causing disproportionate health impacts in nearby neighborhoods.
Projects
In West Eugene, 550,000 pounds of toxic emissions were released in 2019. This pollution - emitted in the 97402 zip code area - accounted for 96% of all the emissions released in the City of Eugene that year, and every year. Polluted air in West Eugene persists due to outdated zoning laws, housing built near pollution and weak air regulations. Air pollution is linked to heart ailments, lung disease, asthma attacks, cancer, and an overall reduction in life expectancy. These conditions have become the lived experience of the West Eugene community.
Bethel Clean Energy Project
The Bethel Clean Energy Project is an innovative pilot initiative that focuses on making clean energy technologies accessible to Bethel residents. Our mission is to collaborate directly with neighborhood residents, to research and identify the best options for implementing free or low-cost clean energy home improvements! Learn more
Read our NEW Bethel Clean Energy Project Feasibility Study (PDF)
Why We Do The Work
Listen to the latest podcasts hosted by Arjorie Arberry-Baribeault, West Eugene Community Organizer for Beyond Toxics. The first three are about childhood cancer and environmental pollution. We talk about friendship, families and struggling with the reality of childhood cancer. These conversations will include discussion around cancer and the hardships that ensue. Learn more
Polluter J.H. Baxter Has SHUT DOWN!
VICTORY! After intense public pressure and mounting evidence of dangerous levels of toxic pollution, JH Baxter, a creosote manufacturer and chronic polluter in West Eugene, announced it is closing its doors on January 31st, 2022. The company now keeps a skeleton crew onsite to manage clean up requirements. Learn more
See the "Research and Resources" section below for a full list of available reports
See also: "Public Pressure Brings Down Polluting Giant" by Lisa Arkin
Beautician Turned Environmentalist: Arjorie's Story
Arjorie Arberry-Baribeault never envisioned herself on the front lines of the fight for clean air in West Eugene, but when her thirteen year-old daughter was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, she started asking questions. Arjorie’s search for answers led her to Beyond Toxics. Learn more
See the interactive presentation, "Beautician Turned Environmentalist" on ArcGIS's StoryMap
Air Pollution Stories
We collect stories from West Eugene neighbors who suffer the ill effects of a high concentration of polluting factories in close proximity to residential neighborhoods. Learn more
Share Your Pollution Story
Are you living in the West Eugene area near one of several polluting factories? You can make a difference in your community by sharing your pollution story with us today!
Research and Resources
Read the latest Beyond Toxics Report, Seeing is Believing: Visualizing Indoor Air Pollution from Gas Stoves (PDF)
Health Consultation Initial and Public Comment Release
J.H. BAXTER NEIGHBORHOOD INVESTIGATION - EUGENE, OREGON
Prepared by Environmental Health Assessment Program, Oregon Health Authority
SUMMARY: J.H. Baxter Health Consultation - Summary Factsheet (Updated Feb. 2023)
2022 J.H. Baxter Fact Sheet (PDF)
2022 West Eugene Air Quality Study (PDF), published by Beyond Toxics and Oregon State University (PDF) | Authors: OSU: Diana Rohlman, PhD; Beyond Toxics: Lisa Arkin, Exec. Director and Arjorie Arberry-Baribeault, West Eugene Community Organizer
Residential PAH Exposures Near a Wood Preservation Facility in West Eugene (PDF)
By Diana Rohlman, Arjorie Arberry-Baribeault, Lisa Arkin, Lane Tidwell, Kim A. Anderson
Pacific Northwest Center for Translational Environmental Health Research - Oregon State University
2021 West Eugene Cancer Analysis - Oregon Health Authority (PDF)
Victories
- POLLUTER JH BAXTER SHUTTING DOWN: Discovery of dioxin-contaminatED soil and intense pressure from Beyond Toxics and the West Eugene community leads to JH Baxter closing down.
- Initiated the Clear Lake Overlay Zone, a model local land use law that lifts up environmental justice, climate protection, and places restrictions on new heavy industry.
- Played a pivotal role in the adoption of Oregon’s Cleaner Air Oregon air quality regulations.
- Led the way to stop legislation seeking to give tax credits to carbon polluters and waste incinerators.
- Introduced toxics emissions reporting requirements that were adopted by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
- Successfully filed a complaint under the US EPA Civil Rights Office that required the local air regulatory agency to adopt environmental justice practices.
- Filed complaints that forced industrial polluters to clean up hazardous waste dump sites, stop surface water pollution and mitigate vapors from groundwater plumes.
