PESTICIDE OFFICIAL OKS EXPANDED USE AT AREA FARM; NEIGHBORS: CHEMICALS CAUSING ILLNESS.Byline: Deborah Sullivan Daily News Staff Writer The Department of Pesticide Regulation is permitting a Camarillo grower to fumigate fu·mi·gate v. To subject to smoke or fumes, usually in order to exterminate pests or disinfect. fu within 100 feet of nearby residences, but neighbors said they are already getting sick from fumigation fumigation: see disinfectant. farther down the field from their homes. ``Fumigation will be allowed to go ahead Tuesday or Wednesday,'' said Earl McPhail, Ventura County agricultural commissioner, who is authorized to issue permits for all farm pesticide use in the county. The decision is a disappointment for residents, who said they are already experiencing symptoms from a methyl bromide methyl bromide Toxicology An insecticide and rodenticide, which is a volatile fumigant 3-fold denser than air and absorbed through skin, producing narcosis, pulmonary edema, renal tubule damage, jacksonian convulsions, CNS depression, peripheral neuropathy; fumigation that is ongoing this weekend. ``Mine has been mostly just eye burning and stuffy nose, having a hard time breathing,'' said Hank Hamilton, 67. ``My wife is all stuffed up.'' Hamilton said residents were tracking their symptoms and that some had taken blood tests to determine whether they had unhealthy amounts of methyl bromide in their bodies. The results of those tests were not available Friday. Pleasant Valley Farms began fumigating a 10-acre strip of its 90-acre field Aug. 21, while the Department of Pesticide Regulation conducted tests on the levels of methyl bromide emitted. Methyl bromide is a pesticide known to cause nausea, headaches, dizziness, respiratory distress Respiratory distress A condition in which patients with lung disease are not able to get enough oxygen. Mentioned in: Lung Cancer, Non-Small Cell , and, in cases of extreme poisoning, seizures, coma or death. However, the department's tests showed this week that emissions of the chemical during last week's fumigation did not exceed the state's target levels for agricultural use. As a result, the department decided Wednesday to allow the grower, Charles Nakana, to fumigate another 40-acre portion of the farm, 650 feet from their homes. That fumigation is ongoing now. On Friday, the department approved McPhail's decision to allow fumigation on the remaining 40 acres of the farm up to 100 feet from adjacent homes. That fumigation can begin as soon as weather conditions are acceptable, department officials said. ``The county, when they issued the permit, stipulated that they would determine the buffer zone buffer zone n. A neutral area between hostile or belligerent forces that serves to prevent conflict. Noun 1. buffer zone after reviewing our monitoring data, and local weather conditions,'' said Paul Gosselin, assistant director of the Department of Pesticide Regulations. ``They decided that a 100-foot buffer zone was appropriate. We agreed with Earl (McPhail's) decision that that was appropriate and removed the stay (on the fumigation permit.)'' Gosselin said the agency, however, would hold a public review next week of the farm's pesticide use permit. McPhail said the subject of the hearing will include permit provisions that allow the farm to use other insecticides and fungicides This page aims to list well-known chemical compounds, to stimulate the creation of Wikipedia articles. This list is not necessarily complete or up to date – if you see an article that should be here but isn't (or one that shouldn't be here but is), please update the page besides methyl bromide and chloropicrin chloropicrin (klōr'əpĭk`rĭn), colorless oily liquid used as a poison gas. It is a powerful irritant, causing lachrymation, vomiting, bronchitis, and pulmonary edema; lung injury from chloropicrin may result in death. (another chemical added to methyl bromide to give the odorless o·dor·less adj. Having no odor. o  dor·less·ly adv.o gas a scent.) ``We're going to hear what people's concerns are on the entire permit decision,'' Gosselin said. |
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