Bill Would Restrict Computer Cleaner

“My last effort at the end of my 45-year law career has been to do something after Joleen was killed.”

A can of duster. (Grossinger/Shutterstock)
By Nigel Jaquiss

Ray Thomas, a Portland lawyer known for winning massive tobacco lawsuits, is hoping for one last victory before he retires.

Senate Bill 1032, introduced Feb. 18, would require retailers to put the aerosol cans of computer cleaners, referred to as “dusters,” in secure locations and restrict their sales to people 21 and older.

Thomas pushed for the bill after Joleen Braasch-Berry, a family friend, was struck and killed while riding her bike home from work by a driver who had just inhaled from a can of duster. The bill, which has bipartisan support, is modeled after a Minnesota law that went into effect earlier this year.

“We learned about the widespread abuse of duster products, all of which contain DFE, (a chemical originally developed as a surgical anesthetic) after Joleen was killed in October 2020,” Thomas says. “My last effort at the end of my 45-year law career has been to do something after Joleen was killed.”

This story was produced by the Oregon Journalism Project, a nonprofit newsroom covering rural Oregon. OJP seeks to inform, engage, and empower readers with investigative and watchdog reporting that makes an impact. Our stories appear in partner newspapers across the state. Learn more at oregonjournalismproject.org.

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