EPA launches probe into ‘thick, poisonous smoke' in Northern California
'I take this very seriously; I have directed Region 9 EPA law enforcement to investigate these issues immediately,' said EPA Pacific Southwest Region Administrator Josh F.W. Cook in a statement Thursday. 'We will be working with other County, State and Federal agencies to ensure Californians are protected and our environmental laws are upheld.'
The county's board of supervisors voted 5-0 to declare the emergency on July 1 due to the 'escalating threat posed by the illegal use of highly toxic pesticides associated with illicit cannabis cultivation and processing operations,' officials said.
The county warned in its declaration order that unpermitted grows in the county 'are increasingly using illegal, highly toxic pesticides unlawfully as fumigants by igniting sawdust-like materials infused with a cocktail of insecticides … fungicides, and herbicides in aluminum cans placed throughout enclosed grows structures, creating thick, poisonous smoke.'
The emergency proclamation identified findings from county investigations and laboratory analyses, including identification of more than 27 pesticides, foreign pesticide products imported outside of legal regulatory channels and increasing exposure risks to first responders due to unsafe conditions at contaminated sites, officials said. Some of the pesticides discovered were classified as carcinogens (substances that can cause cancer), nerve agents (chemicals that affect the nervous system) and groundwater pollutants, officials said.
The county requested that Newsom issue a state of emergency proclamation to bolster local mitigation and enforcement efforts. The governor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the situation.
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