Ventura County Rescinds Permit For Controversial Fumigant

VENTURA (AP) — Ventura County officials have withdrawn the state's first permit for a controversial fumigant a day after granting it to an Oxnard-area farmer.

County Agricultural Commissioner Henry Gonzales tells the Ventura County Star that the grower received his permit to use methyl iodide on Wednesday, but that it was withdrawn on Thursday after his office learned his fields were less than a half-mile from a playground.

State pesticide regulators approved the fumigant's use in the state over the objections of environmental and farm worker groups that cited its links to cancer.

Gonzales says commissioners can review permits during the nine days after they are granted and the Oxnard-area farmer lost his permit during such a review.

He says his office will now complete the reviews before permits are granted.

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