Report ties bug spray to death

FLORENCE, Ore. — State experts blamed a bug spray for the death of a 76-year-old Florence woman last summer, but they said her heart disease and poor ventilation also contributed to her death.

They're continuing to investigate whether Swanson's Pest Management of Eugene, Ore., broke any laws when it fumigated Florence Kolbeck's home.

Kaci Agle, coordinator of the state's pesticide program, said it was the first known case of a person being poisoned by pesticides in Oregon.

Kolbeck died of a heart attack June 29, a few hours after a Swanson's technician sprayed the house with a mixture of two products that aren't very toxic to mammals, according to investigators.

But one of those ingredients, when inhaled, can cause respiratory irritation and abnormally rapid heartbeats.

Minutes after she and her husband, Fred Kolbeck, re-entered their home that day, they began choking and fell to the floor. Fred Kolbeck called 911, but officers and paramedics who responded were driven out of the home by the fumes.

Agle said that the levels of pesticide in Kolbeck's body weren't much greater than they would be in a normal human, which is why the cause of death wasn't "definite."

The state also found that the company used the appropriate amount of chemicals and the right kind of equipment for the job.

But there's a question about whether the technician properly ventilated the home afterward, as is legally required according to the chemicals' labels, Agle said.

Steve Fisher, Swanson's general manager, said he didn't plan to dispute the findings. Fisher said his review of the case showed that the technician sprayed the home as he normally would.

Fred Kolbeck said he hasn't seen the report yet, but he has contacted an attorney and is evaluating his legal options.

"I just take it one day at a time," he said. "As long as I keep busy, it takes my mind off of this tragic situation."