Strawberry field workers harvesting at Salinas, California. Photo: HolgerhubbsPotent carcinogen could be registered for large-scale use on strawberry fields by early 2010A Scientific Review Panel of America’s leading experts will convene on September 24-25 at Sacramento, California to review whether a new fumigant pesticide, known to cause fetal deaths and used to induce cancer in laboratory cell cultures, should be applied to thousands of acres of fields in California for strawberries and other crops. The pesticide, methyl iodide, has raised concerns from scientists across the country, including five Nobel Laureates, who were “astonished” that a chemical posing such high risks to human health would be considered for use in agriculture.
The pesticide is currently listed on California’s Proposition 65 list of “chemicals known to cause cancer”.
Methyl iodide poses the most direct risks to farm workers and neighboring communities because of the volume that could be applied to fields and its tendency to drift off site. The chemical could be applied to California’s strawberry fields at rates up to 175 lbs per acre, millions of pounds total, on the over 38,000 acres in strawberry production. Like all fumigants (pesticides that readily become gases), methyl iodide volatilises after application and drifts from its intended target, despite any efforts to contain it.
“Methyl iodide is toxic in so many ways,” said Dr. Susan Kegley, a scientist with Pesticide Action Network North America. “The effect of greatest concern is the pesticide’s ability to cause fetal deaths late in pregnancy. It is also a carcinogen, a nervous system poison, and a thyroid toxicant. You just can’t get a worse combination of effects. This chemical should never be released into the environment in any substantial amount, particularly not close to where people live, work or go to school.”
Following action by New York earlier this year, California could be the second state to reject the use of methyl iodide. Under the Bush Administration, the US Environmental Protection Agency registered the chemical for use, and a number of states without the capacity to conduct independent scientific review have simply accepted EPA’s approval of methyl iodide.
In contrast, California has its own review process for all new pesticides. At the hearing in Sacramento, the Scientific Review Panel, convened by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and led by Professor Richard Froines at the University of California, Los Angeles, will review the Department’s risk assessment and will examine the full range of potential adverse impacts posed by the chemical.
Concern over the potential registration of methyl iodide isn’t limited to scientists. In August, Senator Mark Leno (San Francisco) and Assemblymember Bill Monning (Carmel) co-authored a letter signed by 33 state legislators in opposition to the proposed use of this new fumigant in California.
The pesticide is currently listed on California’s Proposition 65 list of “chemicals known to cause cancer”.
Methyl iodide poses the most direct risks to farm workers and neighboring communities because of the volume that could be applied to fields and its tendency to drift off site. The chemical could be applied to California’s strawberry fields at rates up to 175 lbs per acre, millions of pounds total, on the over 38,000 acres in strawberry production. Like all fumigants (pesticides that readily become gases), methyl iodide volatilises after application and drifts from its intended target, despite any efforts to contain it.
“Methyl iodide is toxic in so many ways,” said Dr. Susan Kegley, a scientist with Pesticide Action Network North America. “The effect of greatest concern is the pesticide’s ability to cause fetal deaths late in pregnancy. It is also a carcinogen, a nervous system poison, and a thyroid toxicant. You just can’t get a worse combination of effects. This chemical should never be released into the environment in any substantial amount, particularly not close to where people live, work or go to school.”
Following action by New York earlier this year, California could be the second state to reject the use of methyl iodide. Under the Bush Administration, the US Environmental Protection Agency registered the chemical for use, and a number of states without the capacity to conduct independent scientific review have simply accepted EPA’s approval of methyl iodide.
In contrast, California has its own review process for all new pesticides. At the hearing in Sacramento, the Scientific Review Panel, convened by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and led by Professor Richard Froines at the University of California, Los Angeles, will review the Department’s risk assessment and will examine the full range of potential adverse impacts posed by the chemical.
Concern over the potential registration of methyl iodide isn’t limited to scientists. In August, Senator Mark Leno (San Francisco) and Assemblymember Bill Monning (Carmel) co-authored a letter signed by 33 state legislators in opposition to the proposed use of this new fumigant in California.
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