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Strawberry Pesticide Methyl Iodide On Trial
Jan. 20, 2012
Kathy Collins, a biochemistry professor at the University of California-Berkeley, says the outcome of the case is important to re-establish the integrity of science-based decision-making by the state's Environmental Protection Agency and pesticide regulators.
"As with any decision where the public is going to be impacted, it's very useful to feel 'in the know' - because then, you feel like the decision was thought through, and the experts in the matter weighed in on it."
DPR approved methyl iodide in 2010 as a replacement for methyl bromide, a fumigant that was found to deplete the ozone layer. The California Farm Bureau Federation maintains that the chemical is needed to fight pests and soil-borne diseases, and that methyl iodide is being used in other states.
Collins says methyl iodide is a simple chemical and, unlike most pesticides, extensive research already has been done on it.
"So scientists like myself - and I'm not the only one - don't have to think very hard to just see in the published literature, this is a pretty strong toxin. And so, when it got approved, we were all kind of shocked."
Since the use of methyl iodide has been approved, state records show, only six applications have taken place, including two that were paid for by the manufacturer.
Source: publicmnewsservice
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