The toxic fumigant can be filtered in parts of Long Beach, Compton and San Pedro

Read this story in English

At least six fumigation facilities in the southeastern Los Angeles County use toxic pesticide that can affect people, but air quality regulators have not analyzed health risks in nearby communities.

The residents of West Long Beach have been upset since January when they learned that Potentially dangerous levels of methyl bromidUsed in two facilities near a primary school, they were discovered five years after air quality employees found fumes for the first time.

Then, on Thursday night, at a virtual community meeting, the staff of the air quality management on the southern coast revealed that four more facilities located in Compton and San Pedro also use a chemist in volumes, much larger than two West Long Beach facilities.

The houses are located near the fumigation companies of San Pedro and Compton, but air quality employees have said they have no plans to monitor the air there.

State Health Employees have classified methyl bromida as a toxic, which affects the reproduction, Which means it can damage the developing babies exposed to the uterus. In the short term, high levels can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea and difficulty breathing while an exhibition for a year or more This can cause serious neurological effects, such as difficulties in training and memory.

“Every day … There was an explosion in this neighborhood and no one knew where it was coming from, because it was not silent,” Terral Golden, West Long Beach, said in an interview. “So how do you know what causes your illness? We have to be in crisis and everyone wants to pretend that everything is fine.”

Companies use methyl bromide for Kill harmful pests In imported fruits and vegetables that arrive through the ports of the region. The fumigant has been widely used in crops, especially strawberries, for decades, but was internationally banned for most uses in 1987 under A contract for the United Nations organization which protects the earthly ozone layer. Exceptions are provided for fumming products sent from abroad.

The two facilities of West Long Beach, Ag Fume Service and San Pedro Forklift Also known as SPF Logistics, they are just a few hundred feet from Elizabeth Hudson’s houses and elementary school.

Daniel McCarell, a lawyer who represents AG Fume, who also manages an installation in San Pedro, said the company had fulfilled its permissions and was open to make changes.

“We have cooperated with the agencies at every stage of the process to minimize any possible impact that our operations can have on our workers and the community,” he said. “We believe that our operations are safe and that we are doing our best.”

Greg Augustine, owner of Harbor Fumigation, said his business in San Pedro has the necessary permits and meets local, state and federal requirements. He added that he would cooperate with the air quality regulators if they asked for more information about their work.

“In all life processes, you need to balance the costs and benefits,” Augustine said. “We grow many grapes in California. This process is intended to protect them from pests that exist in South America, but not in North America, and that would be harmful to national agriculture.”

San Pedro Forklift’s General Manager declined to answer Calmatters’ questions.

Global Pest Management, which has fumigation facilities in Compton and Island Terminal near San Pedro, did not respond to calls.

The global pest management facilities in Compton are close to the 710 highway, with residential neighborhoods on both sides. Used 11 626 kg of methyl bromide in 2022, more than twice the large volume used in the facilities of West Long Beach, according to West Long Beach facilities, according to Data provided by the South Coast area At the Thursday meeting.

We grow many grapes in California. This process is intended to protect them from pests that exist in South America, but not in North America, and this would be harmful to national agriculture.

Greg Augustine, owner of Harbor Fumigation

AG Fume and Harbor Fumigation, located in the same direction in San Pedro, together used nearly 40,000 pounds of methyl bromide in 2022, according to the data. This represents between seven and eight times the two companies in West Long Beach. The plant is located near 22 San Pedro Street and the neighborhoods in the west.

The area of ​​the southern coast provided information about the four facilities on Thursday after residents had previously expressed their fears whether more companies were using the fumigant.

No air monitoring was carried out in the four sites of Compton and San Pedro.

In the West Long Beach, the California Air Resources Monitors found the peaks of methyl bromide up to 983 and 966 parts per billion in February and March 2024. At 1000 PPB, methyl bromidal can cause acute health effects such as nausea and dizziness, air quality officials said.

The average concentration found in West Long Beach sites was 2.1 PPB between 2023 and part of 2024; Breathing only 1 PPB per year or more can cause serious health effects as per Air Resources California Council. In March the average monthly concentrations were Third As the State Air Board began to monitor in 2023.

Air quality employees told residents of the community meeting on Thursday that the West Long Beach School was not in the area that could have health effects, although they are 50 houses.

However, a monitor installed from the south coast near the primary school in 2019, as part of a regional atmospheric toxicity study, detects concentrations of 1.14 PPB methyl bromide, above the threshold of chronic health effects. However, the county did not inform the school authorities of elevated levels until January this year.

In California, methyl bromide permits are usually applied by air quality areas. However, in the Los Angeles area, Air District delegates much of this responsibility of Los Angeles County Commissioner In an agreement of 1996

In response to a request for public records speaker stated that the district agency continues Guidelines of the pesticide regulation department for a permissible process.

Maximiliano Regis, Deputy Director of the Agriculture Commissioner, said during the first public meeting in January that the air district did not notify the farm commissioner of the District of Levels, promoted to July 2024, President Michael de Los Reyes declined to answer additional questions.

In 2024, the district commissioner imposed new conditions for the permits of the two facilities of the West Long Beach to reduce the exposure. These include the closure of the doors and the gas ventilation at a higher height to prevent dispersing at high concentrations at the ground level. However, the facilities of Compton and San Pedro do not have the same air quality control.

Western Long Beach Community defenders have requested air regulators to install more monitors and analyze health risks in the last 30 years when Methyl Bromide has been used there.

The area of ​​the southern coast made a preliminary evaluation to determine which facilities can influence communities based on the data on the volume of consumption of 2022, climate models and proximity to residential neighborhoods. They have confirmed that they will continue to collect emission data to determine whether a health risk assessment should be carried out.

Whitney Amaya, West Long Beach resident and a member of East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, said agencies should do a better job to protect communities at risk.

“They are bad news one after the other,” said Whitney Amaya, West Long Beach resident and a member of East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice. “These are our lives, are they? They are our relatives, our neighbors who live here, and this is the future generation, they are our children. We cannot normalize these operations and just say that it is good to continue to do business as before.”

This article was originally published by CalmattersS