Stop the Spray Again: Statewide protest underway of dangerous strawberry pesticide

Statewide protest targets new strawberry pesticide
By Kurtis Alexander -- Santa Cruz Sentinel
Updated: 11/30/2010 06:01:48 PM PST

SANTA CRUZ - State regulators plan to give strawberry growers the OK to use methyl iodide this month.

The pesticide, which kills bugs, weeds and disease that are particularly threatening to berries, is touted as a better alterative to methyl bromide, which is being phased out because of harm it's done to the ozone layer. But a last-ditch campaign is under way to halt approval of methyl iodide, citing problems with the alternate choice.

"We've heard that methyl iodide is a carcinogen. That's not disputed.... So why are we even having this conversation?" said state Assemblyman Bill Monning, D-Carmel.

Monning was among a coalition of environmentalists, researchers and organic farmers that gathered Monday at Jacobs Farm in Santa Cruz County - and at six other sites statewide - protesting the impending use of methyl iodide and asking the governor or governor-elect to block it. The Legislature, Monning said, was not in a position to intervene now and future legislative efforts would be slow and uncertain.

"We want to stop it before it's in the fields," he said.

Critics of methyl iodide cite not only the proven cancer-causing qualities of the pesticide but the potential for methyl iodide to leach out of the field and contaminate water supplies.
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http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16745459?nclick_check=1

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Calif approves use of pesticide linked to cancer
By GARANCE BURKE, Associated Press
December 1, 2010 03:39 PM

(12-01) 15:39 PST Fresno, Calif. (AP) --

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 Earth's protective ozone layer.

California's $1.6 billion strawberry industry will likely provide the biggest market for the fumigant, followed by the flower industry, which is concentrated in Ventura and San Diego counties.

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/12/01/national/a143424S98.DTL
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From the comments:

Methyl iodide is actually used to INDUCE cancer in the lab.

Methyl iodide is a known carcinogen and neurotoxin that causes late-term miscarriages. Scientists using this chemical in the lab to induce cancer in cells take serious precautions — using a ventilation hood and protective gear when handling small amounts. If approved for agricultural use, methyl iodide would be applied, as a gas, at rates of up to 125 lbs per acre. In addition to the threat posed to farmworkers and communities living next to strawberry fields, methyl iodide would likely contaminate groundwater.

Methyl iodide is a highly reactive chemical used in some industrial processes and in research laboratories for the synthesis of new molecules. Alkylating agents like methyl iodide are extraordinarily well-known cancer hazards in the chemical community because of their ability to modify the chemist’s own DNA, as well as the target molecule in the flask, leading to mutations that are potentially very harmful. Because of this potential toxicity, chemists who work with this material use the smallest amounts possible and take great precautions to avoid exposure. Because of methyl iodide’s high volatility and water solubility, broad use of this chemical in agriculture will guarantee substantial releases to air, surface waters and groundwater, and will result in exposures for many people. In addition to the potential for increased cancer incidence, U.S. EPA’s own evaluation of the chemical also indicates that methyl iodide causes thyroid toxicity and permanent neurological damage.
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That's one of the problems -- once the contamination reaches the groundwater, it affects neighboring farmlands, including organic farmlands.

See Also:

Methyl Iodide Controversy: Warning About Strawberry Field Chemical Ignored
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/07/methyl-iodide-controversy_n_602904.html

Methyl iodide: "Difficult, if not impossible to control"
http://www.panna.org/issues/related-umbrella-campaign/cancer-free-strawberries