Toxic Pesticide from Compton Fumigation Facility Raises Health Concerns Near Schools

Families living in a quiet Compton neighborhood near the 710 Freeway may be facing an invisible health threat, as a nearby fumigation facility has been emitting a highly toxic pesticide into the air for decades without many residents’ knowledge.

Global Pest Management, located just blocks from Kelly Park and Kelly Elementary School in Compton, has been using methyl bromide—a chemical that can cause lung damage and neurological health effects—to spray imported fruits and vegetables arriving from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

“It’s concerning. We may be getting sick but we don’t know why,” said Piedad Delgado, a mother picking up her daughter from Kelly Elementary School, who learned about the fumigation facility from a reporter. Delgado wondered if the chemical might be causing her daughter’s recent, unexplained headaches and nausea.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District recently requested data on methyl bromide usage from Global Pest Management and four other similar facilities in San Pedro and Long Beach. However, the agency has not installed air quality monitors in the affected communities or held meetings to inform residents about potential health risks.

Instead, the district has launched a preliminary screening of the five facilities to determine if a full assessment of health risks is necessary. Even if that analysis is conducted, the agency won’t require the companies to reduce emissions unless they reach concentrations three times higher than amounts considered a health risk under state guidelines.

Methyl bromide has been banned worldwide for most uses since 2005 under a United Nations treaty that protects the Earth’s ozone layer, though exemptions are granted for fumigation of produce shipped from overseas. The chemical is classified as a reproductive toxicant by state health officials and can cause both acute symptoms like headaches and dizziness and chronic neurological effects with long-term exposure.

The Compton facility, along with one in San Pedro, uses the largest volumes of methyl bromide—a combined 52,000 pounds a year—yet the air in nearby communities has never been tested, according to the report.

U.S. Representatives Nanette Barragán, Maxine Waters, and Robert Garcia, who represent the affected communities, have demanded “greater monitoring, transparency and oversight surrounding these fumigation facilities and their toxic emissions” in an April 11 letter to state and local regulators.

“Several of these fumigation facilities are located close to homes, schools, parks and other public spaces. Our communities deserve a greater understanding of the levels of toxic emissions from these facilities, the health risks from exposure to such emissions, and the oversight processes in place to ensure all protocols are maintained at these sites,” the representatives wrote.

Community health advocates from Compton and Inglewood have called for immediate air quality testing in neighborhoods surrounding these facilities and for public meetings to inform residents about potential risks and safety measures.