Agency: Chemicals a danger to salmon.

Byline: Susan Palmer The Register-Guard

Three insecticides in common use around Oregon homes and farms pose a serious threat to endangered salmon and have been found extensively in Oregon watersheds.

The insecticides chlorpyrifos, malathion and diazinon - as they have been commonly used - are likely to lead to the extinction of more than two dozen salmon or steelhead runs in California, Oregon and Washington, according to a draft biological opinion by the National Marine Fisheries Service, the federal agency that functions as a watchdog for ocean-going species.

The agency issued that opinion in response to a request by the Environmental Protection Agency, which periodically reviews pesticide use and revises when, where and how the products may be applied.

The insecticides kill a range of bugs from fruit flies and aphids that plague orchards and nurseries to mosquitoes that harass people.

Known as organophosphates, the three chemicals have been found most recently in the Clackamas River or some tributaries in amounts that exceed either federal or state benchmarks for aquatic life health, according to research by U.S. Geological Survey scientists. The amount of the pesticides detected can vary wildly, with more probaby after storms.

Diazinon also has been found in California rainwater sampled in agricultural areas.

Malathion is the only one of the three currently available for use by homeowners for garden pests.

When the National Marine Fisheries Service concludes that an action by a federal agency - in this case, the EPA approving the continued use of pesticides - probably will jeopardize a species at risk of extinction, it works with the agency to develop a reasonable and prudent alternative, said Angela Somma, chief of the Endangered Species Division for the National Marine Fisheries Service. She said the two agencies were still working out what those alternatives might be.

Federal law calls for a pesticide's "registration" to be canceled whenever its use "causes unreasonable adverse effects on the environment."

The draft biological opinion - which will be finalized by Oct. 31 - normally wouldn't be available for public scrutiny, but environmental activists requested it as part of a recent lawsuit settlement.

The 377-page document examines research by federal, state and local agencies, concluding that 28 runs of threatened or endangered salmon and steelhead from Puget Sound to the Sacramento River face a risk of extinction from the three pesticides.

The document is the first step in a four-year process of re-examining the use of 37 common pesticides. It is also the result of an eight-year quest by the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, the nonprofit Eugene-based group that first sued the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to consult with the fisheries service over the impact of pesticides on salmon and then sued the National Marine Fisheries Services for failing to complete the consultation process.

Clean water for fish and people was the lawsuits' goal, said Aimee Code, water quality coordinator for the coalition.

"Diazinon, chlorpyrifos and malathion have all been found in Willamette Valley rivers and I want those chemicals out of our waters. I want the farmers and pesticide applicators to have the knowledge to use pesticides in ways that will not cause jeopardy and the federal government has not provided applicators with sufficient information. ... that's not fair to the stewards of our land. They deserve more clarity," Code said.

Pesticides are an integral part of Oregon farming, said Don Schellenberg, associate director of government affairs for the Oregon Farm Bureau, who also has a prune orchard.

Without pesticides, farmers suffer either a loss of quality or a loss of productivity, he said.

"You can't get the quality that the American consumer wants without using them. We don't use them haphazardly. They're just too expensive for that," he said.

Schellenberg has used malathion and diazinon.

"I don't have any salmon within 30 miles of my place. If you're on a salmon-bearing stream, then you've got to be careful," he said.

When pesticide makers stop producing a common product, the cost of creating a replacement for it hits farmers hard, with the price of the new pesticide significantly higher to cover its development costs, he said.

"And you still have to produce a crop that's sellable," he said.

All three pesticides turned up on a list of the top 100 pesticides used in Oregon in a report by the Department of Agriculture released last week.

Chlorpyrifos was 24th on the list with 232,507 pounds reported in 2007. Malathion was 35th with 92,095 pounds and Diazinon at 58, with 41,948 pounds.

PESTICIDE THREAT

The National Marine Fisheries Service releases its findings

To read the biological opinion, visit www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/pesticide _biological_opinion_draft.pdf