Pacific Lumber Co. has admitted it applies up to 40-gallons of diesel per acre with these toxic chemicals. Despite the fact that these herbicides cause cancer and have been linked to miscarriages and birth defects, their use is not regulated by the California Department of Forestry or any other state or federal agency. Only the amount used and general area of spraying need to be reported. Even then, this data is turned in several months after the application has occurred. Applying herbicides in the rough, steep, brush-covered terrain of Humboldt County is an extremely difficult job which results in the worker often being saturated with chemicals.
Workers are also at high risk of breathing or absorbing herbicides in the air.
The chemicals are also absorbed through skin and by drinking or bathing in contaminated water.