The State : State Closes Wood Plant

State health officials have shut down the Koppers Co. wood treatment plant in Oroville after tests showed that hazardous levels of toxins were released during an explosion there last week. Thirty-six parts per billion of total dioxin equivalents were found at the site, where 9,000 pounds of pentachloropenol, a wood preservative, burst into flames last Monday, said Dave Willis, deputy director of the state Department of Health Services. State regulations say that one part per billion is considered hazardous. An evacuation advisory was issued for 150 families in the area.