{"id":1241,"date":"2011-04-05T17:05:12","date_gmt":"2011-04-06T00:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sjcctimes.com\/?p=1241"},"modified":"2012-02-16T17:12:16","modified_gmt":"2012-02-17T01:12:16","slug":"methyl-iodide-linked-to-california%e2%80%99s-strawberries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sjcctimes.com\/es\/1241\/news\/methyl-iodide-linked-to-california%e2%80%99s-strawberries\/","title":{"rendered":"Methyl iodide linked to california\u2019s strawberries"},"content":{"rendered":"

[media-credit id=21 align=”alignnone” width=”400″]\"Methyl<\/a>[\/media-credit]Methyl iodide, a hazardous air pollutant and cancer-causing chemical, received the seal of approval from the Department of Pesticide Regulation, despite overwhelming opposition from the scientific community. <\/p>\n

More than 50 scientists, including five Nobel laureates, stated in a joint letter, \u201cAs chemists and physicians familiar with the effects of this chemical \u2026 we urge you to do whatever is possible to prevent this chemical from ever becoming a registered pesticide,\u201d advising the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency against the release of methyl iodide into the environment. \u202f \u202f<\/p>\n

Methyl iodide is recognized by the EPA as a carcinogen, known to induce cancer in the lab; this is especially alarming since it may infect the ground water supply.\u202f <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the fumigant is used close to the ground, it can cling to particles of soil,\u201d said Dr. Ann Lopez, professor of environmental science at San Jose City College. \u201cOverhead watering of crops will then cause it to \u2018sink\u2019 into the soil, and ultimately into the ground water supply.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following the department\u2019s approval, the Pesticide Action Network of North America posted on their website a fact-sheet on the chemical. The website also indicated their organization had filed suit against the decision. \t <\/p>\n

The lawsuit argues that using methyl iodide violates several California health and acts, including, \u201cEnvironmental Quality Act, Birth Defects Prevention Act, and the Pesticide Contamination Prevention Act that protects groundwater against pesticide pollution,\u201d in addition, to violating worker safety regulations.\u202f<\/p>\n

All pesticide fumigants are applied at very high application rates, that is about 175 pounds per acre, Dr. Susan Kegley of Pesticide Action Network indicated during her testimony before the California State Assembly Committee, she estimates 6 to 10 million pounds a year will be used once fully integrated into the system.\u202f \u201cOnce the chemical is integrated into the environment you can\u2019t mitigate the risks you can\u2019t pull it back.\u201d \u202f<\/p>\n

\tHow likely will use of the pesticide threaten the ground water supply?\u202f Kegley explains, \u201cMethyl iodide is injected into to the soil prior to planting a crop and plastic tarps are pulled over the soil immediately afterward; any water that is applied to the soil after the tarps are removed–by rain or irrigation–will leach the methanol and iodide ions, down through the soil into the groundwater table.\u201d\u202f<\/p>\n

The documentary, The Future of Food, explains that new technology created during this last century began the \u201cGreen Revolution.\u201d Genetic regularity increased plants vulnerability to insects and disease. This has growers trapped on a \u201cpesticide treadmill,\u201d the more pesticide they spray the more they find they have to spray.\u202f Over the years, increase use of pesticides led to increased costs, polluted water and created health risks. <\/p>\n

Despite adverse effects, fumigants are valuable to growers who believe it would not be possible to grow their crops without them, as competition does not allow them an opportunity to experiment with alternatives. <\/p>\n

Jim Cochran, owner of Swanson Berry and certified organic grower, sympathized with their position, \u201cYou got to make money at this, you got to make it work economically,\u201d during his testimony before the California State Assembly Committee.\u202f Cochran stands in favor of looking for alternatives to the pesticides; calling for the State Assembly to consider the environmental advantages. \u201cMaybe we should be thinking about moving in a different direction, and maybe it will be to our long-term economic benefit.\u201d\u202f<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[media-credit id=21 align=”alignnone” width=”400″][\/media-credit]Methyl iodide, a hazardous air pollutant and cancer-causing chemical, received the seal of approval from the Department of Pesticide Regulation, despite overwhelming opposition from the scientific community. More than 50 scientists, including five Nobel laureates, stated in a joint letter, \u201cAs chemists and physicians familiar with the effects of this chemical \u2026…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":1242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"staff_name":[586],"class_list":["post-1241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","staff_name-melissa-martinez"],"yoast_head":"\nMethyl iodide linked to california\u2019s strawberries - City College Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sjcctimes.com\/es\/1241\/news\/methyl-iodide-linked-to-california\u2019s-strawberries\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Methyl iodide linked to california\u2019s strawberries - City College Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[media-credit id=21 align=”alignnone” width=”400″][\/media-credit]Methyl iodide, a hazardous air pollutant and cancer-causing chemical, received the seal of approval from the Department of Pesticide Regulation, despite overwhelming opposition from the scientific community. 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