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Methyl Iodide - Dangerous Cancer Causing Pesticide Coming to the Produce Aisle

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« on: December 04, 2010, 10:17:12 am »

Methyl iodide pesticide gets state approval despite links to cancer
Environmental, farmworker groups link methyl iodide to cancer

http://www.montereyherald.com/agriculture/ci_16757470/
By GARANCE BURKE
Associated Press
Posted: 12/02/2010 01:30:08 AM PST
Updated: 12/02/2010 09:02:42 AM PST

FRESNO — California regulators approved a pesticide Wednesday for use by fruit and vegetable growers despite heavy opposition from environmental and farmworker groups that cited its links to cancer.

The state Department of Pesticide Regulation will register methyl iodide as a substitute for the pesticide methyl bromide, which is being phased out by international treaty because it depletes the protective ozone layer.

California's $1.6 billion strawberry industry will undoubtedly provide one of the biggest markets for the chemical, as will the Central Valley's nut orchards and the fresh flower nurseries dotting the coast in Ventura and San Diego counties.

The pesticide is included on California's official list of cancer-causing chemicals, and the department's scientific advisory panel has raised concerns that it could poison the air and water.

The agency tentatively approved its restricted use in April and Wednesday's decision made it final.

Regulators insist the fumigant can be used safely and say permits will be required and strict guidelines will be followed.

"The process has been more complex because of methyl iodide's toxicity as well as because of the intense public interest," director Mary-Ann Warmerdam said.

The precautions, which include setting up buffer zones within which it can't be applied and the use of tarps to keep fumes from escaping the soil, go further than those imposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or by any other state, and will be in place later this month, Warmerdam said.

Still, Assemblyman Bill Monning, D-Monterey, whose temperate coastal district produces strawberries year-round, said he was disturbed by the approval after several hearings in Sacramento about the pesticide's health impacts.

"I think there is sufficient scientific evidence to say that this chemical is unsafe at any speed," he said. "With a limited state budget, it is going to be very different to rely on agricultural commissioners to provide enough oversight and monitoring if this goes into use extensively."

A United Farm Workers official offered similar comments.

"We're very disappointed," said Erik Nicholson, national vice

president of the union. "We feel that profit has trumped science and human health."

Methyl iodide was championed as a safe replacement for methyl bromide when the EPA approved it for use in 2007.

The pesticide is registered in 47 other states. Users include growers of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and other crops in southeastern states.

Officials with Tokyo-based pesticide giant Arysta LifeScience Corp., which markets the product under the brand name Midas, said the approval will help California's farmers stay in business even as the cost of farmland and labor keeps rising.

"The end result is you've got good quality fruit and vegetables to consume, and you have an abundant supply at a cost that the consumer is interested in," said Jeff Tweedy, head of business development in North America for Arysta LifeScience Corp., which makes the pesticide.

This week, a coalition of environmental and farmworker groups urged Gov.-elect Jerry Brown to reopen the decision immediately and ban methyl iodide in California after he is sworn in Jan. 3.

A top Monterey County agriculture official said the pesticide would be used safely.

"This was a long and considered process," said Bob Roach, assistant county agricultural commissioner.

"We're prepared to fulfill our role in issuing restricted material permits. As this is a new material, we'll be giving the applications a high level of scrutiny. We want to make sure it is used safely, correctly."

Norm Groot, executive director of the Monterey County Farm Bureau, called the state decision "a good step forward."

The chemical will be tightly controlled, he said, by the kind of crop it is used on and where it is used. People who oppose the use of methyl iodide should examine how it is already being used safely and effectively across the country, he said.
« Last Edit: December 04, 2010, 10:21:09 am by Route » Report Spam   Logged



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