EPA Reaches Settlement In Pesticide Death Case
The death of Florence Kolbeck was so strange, that it captured headlines around the state.
In July of 2005, Kolbeck and her husband Fred returned to their house after it had been sprayed for bugs by a pesticide company. Thinking they had waited enough time after the spraying, the Kolbecks were coughing and on the floor within minutes. A few hours later, Florence was dead from a heart attack.
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency announced it has settled with the company that applied the pesticides. Swanson’s Pest Management, Inc., of Eugene has agreed to pay a $4550 fine, the maximum possible under the law. The EPA complaint says Swanson’s made three serious mistakes, including not doing a good enough job to ventilate the home after spraying.
Kolbeck’s death is the only known “death by pesticide” case in Oregon history. An autopsy by Lane County concluded she died from a combination of factors, including exposure to the pesticide and poor health that made her vulnerable. The report said the levels of pesticide found in the home were not lethal and that had Kolbeck been in better health she would have survived.
A lawsuit against Swanson’s, filed by her family, was settled out of court about a year ago.
