The Toxic Legacy of Methyl Bromide: A Pesticide Banned but Still in Use
A highly toxic pesticide that was banned in California over two decades ago is still widely used across the state, potentially endangering communities near farm fields and bustling shipyards, according to a new study. The pesticide in question is methyl bromide, an odorless and colorless fumigant that was once touted as a miracle product for its effectiveness in killing pests. However, research later determined that the neurotoxic gas can cause serious health issues in humans and contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer.
Despite being banned under the Montreal Protocol in 2005, methyl bromide remains in use in 36 of 58 California counties, according to data collected by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation over the last decade. From 2016 to 2023, more than 12 million pounds of the pesticide were applied in these counties, with over 200 fumigation facilities having active permits to emit methyl bromide statewide during that eight-year span. The international ban included broad exemptions, which has allowed the continued use of methyl bromide for certain agricultural purposes and in the sterilization of container cargo moving through ports.
Exemptions and Ongoing Use
The counties with the highest methyl bromide use, such as Siskiyou, Merced, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin, are mostly rural communities using it for exempted agricultural purposes, such as soil fumigation for specialty crops without feasible alternatives or in greenhouse nurseries. Los Angeles County ranked fifth, with 725,000 pounds of methyl bromide used, primarily due to its ongoing use to sterilize container cargo moving through the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. This has resulted in communities near the ports being exposed to another toxic pollutant, in addition to already bearing the brunt of diesel and air pollution.
Because the pesticide’s use is exempted, the risks are not accounted for in CalEnviroScreen, the tool the state uses to evaluate a community’s exposure to several types of pollution. According to Yoshira Ornelas Van Horne, the study’s co-author and an assistant professor of environmental science at UCLA, “These communities, like West Long Beach and Wilmington, were already designated as disadvantaged communities by the state of California. So, I think this just underscores that there’s potentially even more environmental burdens that weren’t even being accounted for, unfortunately.”
Health Risks and Regulatory Response
From January 2023 to April 2024, an air monitoring station just north of Long Beach’s Hudson Elementary School, which is downwind of two fumigation sites handling imported goods, found that the average levels of methyl bromide were 2.1 parts per billion, twice as high as the state’s threshold exposure for long-term health risks. In early 2024, hourly concentrations surpassed 960 parts per billion, just shy of the state’s short-term exposure benchmark. In response, the Los Angeles County agricultural commissioner has been collaborating with fumigation facilities on ideas to reduce risk from the pesticide, including installing higher smoke stacks to disperse emissions and prohibiting fumigation during school hours.
A public meeting is scheduled for January 29 by the South Coast Air Quality Management District to discuss how methyl bromide and other fumigants might be regulated in the future. Theral Golden, a longtime resident of West Long Beach, plans to attend the meeting and will call for an outright ban of methyl bromide unless fumigation facilities can demonstrate that they can contain the harmful emissions. “The building should be airtight,” Golden said. “It should not escape into the atmosphere at all. It may cost a lot of money. But that’s the cost of doing business. It’s costing us our lives.”
Conclusion and Call to Action
The continued use of methyl bromide in California, despite its ban, highlights the need for stricter regulations and enforcement to protect communities from toxic pollutants. As the state and regulatory agencies move forward in addressing this issue, it is essential for the public to be informed and involved in the decision-making process. For more information on this topic, you can read the full article Here.
Image Source: www.latimes.com
