Forest Service Study Finds Paint-Use Risks

The Forest Service will conduct safety inspections at national forests in response to a study that found increased risk of miscarriages among workers who used tree-marking paint or herbicides.

Acting Associate Forest Service Chief Clyde Thompson instructed agency managers Friday to dispose of any of the old paints linked to health problems by June 5.

The agency is testing alternative paints with lower levels of solvents, he said, and in the meantime any workers who don’t want to be exposed to any of the chemicals will be reassigned to other duties.

“The chief’s highest priority is the health and safety of our employees,” Thompson said in a letter to employees Friday about the inspections planned for this summer.

A study conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, an arm of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that work as a forester was associated with an increased likelihood of miscarriages compared with all other Forest Service jobs from 1986-96.

The likelihood of miscarriages increased among women who reported using several paints purchased before 1990.

“Although NIOSH cannot pinpoint the reason for these higher incidences of reproductive problems and other illnesses, we are taking proactive action to ensure the safety and health of our employees in the field,” Thompson said.

Each forest will conduct health and safety training and inspections this summer to increase employee awareness of potential safety hazards of paint, he said.

The leader of a worker advocacy group said Friday he was generally pleased with the steps being taken. “The chief is showing some leadership that has been lacking on this issue for the last 10 years,” said Andy Stahl, executive director of the Assn. of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics in Eugene, Ore.

But, he said, many unanswered questions remain about the long-term effects of chemical exposure. The safety agency began the study five years ago after Forest Service workers blamed reproductive and other health problems on the paint used to mark trees for logging in national forests.

NIOSH found that use of Southern Coatings Boundary Paint was associated with a 177% higher risk of miscarriage compared with workers who didn’t use it, while use of Nelson Paint was associated with an 81% higher risk and use of herbicides with an 82% higher risk.

The Forest Service no longer buys either paint brand, but some could still be in storage, and regional bosses must certify by June 5 that all of the older paint has been eliminated, Thompson said.

The Forest Service will continue to work with NIOSH “to study the potential harmful effects to women of childbearing age and other employees that use tree-marking paint,” Thompson said.