article_snippet.sent: US authorities have confirmed that the highly toxic pesticide methyl bromide caused a Delaware family to become seriously ill at a U.S. Virgin Islands resort, and that the chemical was used at a U.S. Virgin Islands resort several times in the past year, officials said Tuesday.
article_snippet.sent: the US Environmental Protection Agency was banned for indoor residential use in 1984. '
article_snippet.sent: Methyl bromide is a potent neurotoxin, so Methyl bromide really affects your central nervous system,' the US Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Judith Enck said in a telephone interview.
article_snippet.sent: Enck said the pesticide was used March 28 on the condominium's first floor, and agents are trying to determine how much was employed.
article_snippet.sent: Enck said The US Justice Department found that methyl bromide was used at other Sirenusa units in the past year, but declined to say how many, citing a criminal investigation.
article_snippet.sent: On Friday  the EPA said preliminary tests showed there was 'a presence of methyl bromide in the unit where the family impacted by this tragic incident was staying' Tuition at Middle School can range from $20,000 to $25,000 a year.
article_snippet.sent: Methyl Bromide, which is odorless, can be fatal or cause serious damage to the central nervous system and respiratory system, according to the EPA.
article_snippet.sent: It is acutely toxic, and only permitted to be used outdoors by certified professionals in the US.