Willamette River stays relatively pristine through Eugene.

Byline: THE HEALTH FILES By Tim Christie The Register-Guard

CORRECTION (ran 7/15/03): The HealthFiles column on Page B1 Monday about the biological health of the Willamette River in Eugene misstated the number of river miles from Eugene to Portland. The Willamette flows about 185 miles from Eugene to Portland.

In these dog days of summer, many people enjoy cooling off with a dip in the shallows of the Willamette River as it flows through Eugene.

But wait - what else is floating in that river besides sweaty bodies?

The answer is various pollutants, but not at levels that pose a serious threat to human health, at least this far upstream. In other words, it's OK to take a dip - just don't drink the water.

In fact, for a river that gets a lot of stuff dumped in it, the Willamette is a relatively clean river in Eugene. We're close enough to its source that pollutants haven't started accumulating as heavily as they do farther downriver.

The state Department of Environmental Quality ranks the Willamette River in Eugene as having "excellent" biological health.

Jared Rubin, the DEQ's Willamette Basin coordinator in Eugene, said the river is certainly much healthier here than farther downstream.

From a health perspective, "what we worry about most is exposure to bacteria," such as E. coli, if people accidentally ingested river water, he said.

But that risk is less pronounced in the dry summer months, he said.

"We do monitor the Willamette regularly for things like bacteria, but it doesn't seem to be much of a problem this time of year," he said.

"We see worse bacterial contamination in fall and spring," when heavy rains come after a dry spell and wash contaminants from the landscape into the river, he said.

Still, people should use common sense when swimming in the river to avoid bacterial contamination, DEQ spokeswoman Jennifer Boudin said.

"You wouldn't want to swim at an outfall from a big industry or sewage treatment plant," she said.

The Willamette is positively pristine in Eugene compared to what it looks like 300 miles downstream. A six-mile stretch through Portland is so toxic that the federal government declared it a Superfund cleanup site in December 2000.

More than 2 million people, or 70 percent of the state population, live in the Willamette River Valley. So as it flows past farms and cities, it picks up all kinds of pollutants, from pesticides and lawn fertilizers to motor oil and factory chemicals.

Still, the Willamette is a treasure, not a problem, said Rick Bastasch, executive director of the Willamette Restoration Initiative, an effort by former Gov. John Kitzhaber to clean up the river.

And the best way to deal with the challenges facing the Willamette is to get more people to personally experience the river.

"Unfortunately, many people believe it's an open sewer, or such a perennial problem that they stay away and it becomes a bloodless attraction," he said. "The more we experience it and establish a personal relationship with it, the more river stewardship will become second nature."

Of course, swimmers and waders need to be aware not just of the river's water quality, but also its speed. Fast-moving water and whirlpools can pose serious dangers to swimmers. People drown in the river virtually every summer.

What's buggin' you?

An earlier column covered insect repellents and the fact that DEET remained the king of mosquito fighters, besting newer products that use plant-based ingredients, such as citronella, soybean oil or eucalyptus oil.

The story cited a study conducted by University of North Carolina researchers and published last year in the New England Journal of Medicine.

But the Eugene makers of a natural insect repellent say the UNC study isn't the final word on repellents.

The UNC researchers found that DEET is safe if used correctly, despite concerns about its toxicity and potential adverse effects.

Still, many parents are looking for alternatives for their children, said Eve McClure, president of Eugene-based Quantum Inc.

The company, established in 1981, makes various natural products, including cosmetics as well as Buzz Away, a mosquito repellent.

Buzz Away proved just as effective as the DEET-based Skintastic in a study conducted by researchers at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. Skintastic is a low-DEET formula marketed by Off! as safe and gentle for children.

The study found both Buzz Away and Skintastic reduced mosquito bites by more than 90 percent one hour after application, compared with subjects who put on no repellent.

Three hours after application, Buzz Away was reducing bites by 64 percent, compared with 79 percent for Skintastic. Both were far more effective than two natural products, Natrapel and Jungle Juice (not the DEET-based REI product), the study found.

Buzz Away's active ingredients are oils of citronella, cedarwood, eucalyptus, lemongrass and peppermint.

Buzz Away doesn't last as long as strong DEET products, which remain effective as long as five hours, but it works fine for less mosquito-intensive activities, McClure said.

"We don't recommend it if you're going into a malaria-infested area," she said. "It's great for picnics and the ballpark."

The real key is to reapply it every two hours or so, McClure said.

Tim Christie can be reached at 338-2572 or tchristie@ guardnet.com.