Photo of methyl bromide hearing in Delco, NC; courtesy of Erin Carey
An Australian company recently gave in to public pressure from residents of the small town of Delco, North Carolina. The Malec Brothers Transport company had requested a permit to use toxic methyl bromide to fumigate logs before shipping.
The Environmental Protection Agency has blocked most uses of methyl bromide in the U.S. because it is so toxic, and it’s banned outright in about 150 countries. So when the residents of Delco, a low-income community in the eastern part of North Carolina, heard about the proposed permit to release the toxin near Acme Delco Middle School, they banded together to oppose it.
Local Sierra Club volunteer Ashley Daniels and North Carolina Sierra Club coastal program coordinator Erin Carey worked with the community to organize against the permit -- which would have allowed for up to 140 tons of methyl bromide to be released into the air each year. According to the EPA, one’s lungs may be severely injured by the short-term inhalation of methyl bromide. Short- and long-term inhalation of methyl bromide can lead to neurological effects in humans.
This is a victory for all North Carolinians who care about the air their children breathe and the future of our environment.Erin Carey
What’s more -- this is an environmental justice issue: Delco is a primarily low-income community of color already plagued with air pollutants from the local Riegelwood International Paper Mill. Residents are tired of their town being a dumping ground.
Delco residents turned out by the hundreds to show their overwhelming opposition at a local public hearing in 2018. In response, the state promised to create new rules to address methyl bromide use. But then, last week, the company rescinded its permit request!
“This is a perfect example of the power of citizen voices, and I congratulate all of those who spoke out to make their community a safer place,” said Carey. “This is a victory for all North Carolinians who care about the air their children breathe and the future of our environment.”
The company will instead use a different method of treating the logs that doesn’t involved toxic methyl bromide. Work on state regulations continues.
This is the second time in a year that North Carolina residents said “NO” to proposed methyl bromide use in their communities. Earlier in 2018, TIMA Capital applied for a Title V permit to release 90 tons of methyl bromide into the air at their fumigation facility located in Wilmington, N.C. Citizen opposition, in the form of comments and calls to the North Carolina Division of Air Quality and to local officials, was swift and strong. Days after a public hearing was scheduled for the permit, TIMA rescinded the application and the project was scrapped.
People power gets results! Congrats to the North Carolina communities working hard for clean air.