Residents Urge State Officials to Halt Pesticide Use

Hoping to stop strawberry farmers in Ventura and Camarillo from using methyl bromide, residents from both cities Tuesday night urged state regulators to halt release of the toxic fumigant near their homes.

They complained of burning eyes, headaches and dizziness, blaming their ailments on the widely used fumigant. By detailing their concerns at the special hearing, residents aimed to persuade the state Department of Pesticide Regulation to revoke county-issued methyl bromide permits.

Lynda Uvari, who lives near the Montalvo Ranch strawberry field in east Ventura, said she and her two young children became ill last summer after the field was fumigated.

“We really blame it on the pesticide,” she said.

Raili West said her family suffered similar problems: “We have a right to breathe air that is not toxic. Our health is being compromised for profit.”

About 100 people from Ventura and residents living near the Charles Nakama ranch in Camarillo turned out at Buena High School for the hearing.

Two hours later, regulators heard from Camarillo residents. They predicted similar suffering if use of methyl bromide goes ahead as planned on the Charles Nakama ranch.

Mike Lorimer, who lives in the Lamplighter Mobile Home Estates in Camarillo, said residents there are worried that they could get sick from methyl bromide.

“We’re very concerned after listening to the people at Montalvo Ranch,” Lorimer said. “Those people got sick.”

As the controversy over methyl bromide escalates--and the fumigation season hits its peak--state pesticide regulators have been drawn to Ventura County. Groups in Camarillo and Ventura appealed to state regulators after Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner Earl McPhail denied their requests to halt fumigation.

Last week, the state agency decided to hold Tuesday’s special hearing. The department is expected to announce a decision on whether to allow use at the two farms within the next few days.

Methyl bromide is used by strawberry farmers to eliminate pests, such as insects, mites and rodents, from the fields before planting. Although the federal Environmental Protection Agency has classified it as an acute toxin and it will be banned by the year 2000, the pesticide is injected into about 4,800 acres of farmland in Ventura County each year.

Farming advocates say an enormous amount of research has been done to ensure that the pesticide is used responsibly, and strict regulations have been enacted to protect people living near strawberry farms.

McPhail, who was sharply criticized by residents Tuesday night, said the state agency has several options. It could revoke the permits, uphold them, or widen the buffer zones between homes and farms, he said.

“The people are good people,” McPhail said. “They have a right to be concerned. It is a highly toxic material.”

Ventura County Farm Bureau Executive Director Rex Laird said he was offended by the suggestion that county regulators are putting residents at risk by allowing the use of methyl bromide.

“That’s the underlying theme here,” he said. “I find it unconscionable.”

A recent state study, however, showed that the Department of Pesticide Regulation’s rules were insufficient in some cases to protect people who live near places where methyl bromide is used. The agency plans to enlarge buffer zones between homes and farms during the winter months and step up monitoring in the summer.

A six-month statewide monitoring program of the pesticide was scheduled to begin last week in Camarillo, and a one-day monitoring in Ventura has also been considered.

But such assurances have not stopped the fight against methyl bromide use in Ventura County.

East Ventura residents have been complaining of spraying near their homes for more than a year. They have been joined in recent months by the Camarillo group.

Before Tuesday night’s hearing, residents and environmentalists protested outside the high school.

They carried signs saying “Our Children Are in Danger” and “Don’t Poison Us.” They also ate strawberries they said were grown without pesticides.