TUALATIN, Ore. -- There's been a strong and pungent odor from Portland to Sherwood the past few days.
"At first i noticed it over in Tigard, then the next day I was home in Beaverton and I noticed it there too," said Stace Manwell.
The odor started on Monday and could be smelled for miles.
Cheryl Young said she's never smelled anything like it in the ten years she's lived in Tigard.
"It had that chemical odor to it," she said. "It made me wonder if it was really safe."
Concerned, Cheryl went online and found dozens of her neighbors also posting about the strong odor.
After calling several local and state agencies, KGW was able to track down the source of the smell to Grimm's Fuel Company off Highway 99W in Tualatin. There, we found no chemicals. Just lots and lots of compost.
"All we do is yard debris," said company owner Jeff Grimm. "They're smelling volatile organic compounds which are kind of stinky."
Grimm's Fuel Company has been turning yard debris into compost since the 1980s. On Monday, crews started moving tons of that compost.
It's something the company does a few times a year. But the weather conditions did not help matters this week. An inversion basically locked in the odors.
"We're moving the material as fast as we can to help lessen the impact on the neighbors," Grimm said. "It's annoying and I apologize and I wish it wasn't happening."
As for residents’ concerns over the health impacts from breathing the stinky air. According to Metro, which is in charge of monitoring the operation, there is no hard evidence it poses a health danger.
The Oregon Health Authority says, if there are health effects tied to compost dust, they are usually allergy-related.