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Use of the gas surged after sales of another fumigant called methyl bromide were sharply curtailed because of the harm it caused to the ozone layer.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, methyl bromide can cause lung disease, convulsions, comas and ultimately death.

In 2004, chemical manufacturers began to phase out methyl bromide, another chemical widely used to fumigate soils, because it harms Earth’s ozone layer.

Among their questions are how the methyl bromide will be stored, how the plant’s fumes will be monitored and dispersed outside the facility, and whether it will pose risks to motorists along the four-lane highway.

An existing air permit allows the Moorefield facility, which treats logs before overseas shipment, to annually emit nearly 10 tons of the ozone-depleting pesticide methyl bromide into the atmosphere.