Ban Studied for Pesticide in Oxnard Leak : Environment: The federal inquiry predates the incident that sickened 15 residents. Officials defend use of methyl bromide.

A chemical pesticide that leaked from an Oxnard field is the subject of a possible ban by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and has been attacked by environmental groups as a danger to humans.

But Ventura County agricultural officials say the chemical, methyl bromide, is widely used by local growers and pest-control operators and has never been a problem before.

State and county agricultural officials said Tuesday that they are investigating possible criminal violations involving a leak of the pesticide Saturday.

Fifteen people became ill after methyl bromide was mixed with chloropicrin, a substance similar to tear gas, and applied on a 51-acre field near Emerson Avenue and Falkner Place.

Officials are investigating whether the farm or the pest-control operator broke any laws, said Dave Buettner, chief deputy agricultural commissioner in charge of pesticide enforcement.

Pest-control operator Tri-Cal Inc. had been hired by Conroy Farms to fumigate the soil in preparation for a strawberry planting, Buettner said. Buettner said the pest-control firm or the farm could be prosecuted for a misdemeanor. A conviction carries a maximum fine of $1,000 per violation.

Both methyl bromide and chloropicrin are used in thousands of applications each year without mishap, Buettner said. Most of the time, the wind blows the fumes away, he said.

“There’s no way you can successfully predict where there’s going to be a problem,” he said. “If the weather is conducive toward causing a problem, it’s difficult for farmers to predict.”

Methyl bromide has been used for 60 years by farmers to kill diseases and pests in the soil before planting. It is also used for termite control in homes and buildings.

In 1990, Ventura County farmers used about 1.3 million pounds on fields, about 800,000 pounds on strawberry fields alone.

Because of its odorless nature, methyl bromide is often used in conjunction with chloropicrin to provide a warning mechanism in case of leaking fumes. Growers used about 364,000 pounds of chloropicrin in 1990.

Methyl bromide has a history of causing deaths when used in homes, and it has led to evacuations in other farming communities, a state pesticide official said.

Veda Federighi, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Pesticide Regulation, said methyl bromide is also being considered for a ban by the federal Environmental Protection Agency because it has been linked to the depletion of the ozone layer.

She said no decision is expected from the EPA until after the November elections. If the EPA banned the pesticide, it would not take effect until the year 2000, she said.

Recently, concerns about its safety have caused a furor among environmental groups.

“One of our concerns with methyl bromide is that it’s a poisonous gas and people have had to evacuate their areas,” said Cheryl Fletcher, president of Mothers and Others for Safe Food in Ventura. “We’re particularly concerned that methyl bromide is escaping from underneath the tarps.”

Judith Gips, a spokeswoman with the Pesticide Action Network in San Francisco, said the group has called for a phaseout of methyl bromide as a soil fumigant because of its danger to the environment.

“We’re concerned about the damage to humans that’s going on. It’s very serious,” Gips said. “People have been dying in the homes that it was being used.”

The field in Oxnard had been injected with liquid doses of both chemicals and covered with plastic sheets of tarpaulin, agricultural commissioner Buettner said.

In a typical application, plastic sheets form a seal that is supposed to keep any chemical fumes close to the ground. The sheets are not removed for at least 72 hours, he said.

However, the lack of wind and an inversion layer kept the fumes close to the surrounding residential neighborhood, Buettner said.

Some residents of the Lemonwood housing tract said they have never noticed the two chemicals applied in such strong doses.

On Saturday night, residents said their eyes and lungs were irritated by the chemicals. Many reported coughing and having difficulty breathing.

“Somebody screwed up. Somebody may have been careless and going too fast,” said resident Larry Stein, 39, whose yard fronts the empty field on Emerson Avenue.

Other residents said they were angry that the area was not evacuated and called for stricter reporting procedures for farmers who apply chemicals.

“There should be procedures for this because it can happen again,” said Joan Calderon, 38, who lives on Falkner Place. “You don’t build houses next to a field unless you make arrangements for this happening.”

Liz Neiswender, 35, roamed the streets on Tuesday alerting neighbors that the field was treated with methyl bromide. She said she still suffers symptoms, including a sore throat. She said she now worries about her family’s safety.

“If it had been more concentrated, it could have killed somebody,” Neiswender said.