When scientists use the chemical methyl iodide in a laboratory setting, they slip on gloves and wear ventilation hoods. The chemical is so toxic, they transfer the liquid in sealed tubes with syringes to prevent accidental releases into the air. Sometimes, methyl iodide is used to induce cancer in lab animals.

Experts handle even small quantities of this chemical with extreme care.

Yet the state of California is now considering registering methyl iodide for use as a fumigant pesticide for agriculture. The chemical would replace methyl bromide, an ozone-layer depleter, but critics worry that while methyl iodine doesn't deplete the ozone, it may, in fact, pose more danger to human health and the environment.

"It's not a friendly chemical," said Susan Kegley, a consulting scientist with the Pesticide Action Network. "This is an old technology. This is going backward in creating sustainable agriculture in California."

Breathing the toxic fumes released by methyl iodide can cause lung, liver, kidney and neurological damage. Acute poisoning causes nausea, dizziness, coughing and vomiting. Additionally, California's Proposition 65 lists methyl iodide as a known cancer-causing agent.

While critics express concern about the potential impact of this pesticide on farmworkers who would interact with methyl iodide on a regular basis, those who support the registration said the chemical is safe when used properly and argue that California agriculture cannot economically withstand any more restrictions, as farmers already face a water crisis.

"I wish we didn't need these products, but reality is if we're going to have a domestic food supply, we have to have them to compete," said Barry Bedwell, president of California Grape and Tree Fruit League, during a special legislative hearing hosted by the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee last week. "To replant without a soil fumigant is suicide."

The current fumigant of choice for specialty crops-methyl bromide-controls insects, nematodes, weeds, pathogens and rodents. Applicators inject the gas into the soil 12 to 24 inches deep before a crop is planted; the chemical sterilizes the soil by killing most of the soil organisms. Methyl iodide would function the same way, and would be applied to tomato and strawberry fields, nurseries and orchards across the state.

>>> Read the Full Article

For more information on this topic or related issues you can search the thousands of archived articles on the OCA website using keywords:

Become an OCA Member! Sign up below:

First Name
Last Name
Email
Email Preference	HTML EmailText Email
Phone
Street
Street 2
City
State	Select One... Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware D.C. Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Other
Zip
Country	United StatesAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCongoCongDemocratic Republic of theCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicIvory CoastDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFijiFinlandFranceGabonGambiTheGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGreeceGrenadaGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHondurasHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKoreNorthKoreSouthKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacedoniFormer Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMauritaniaMauritiusMexicoMicronesiFederated States ofMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalQatarRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and The GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbia and MontenegroSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTogoTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe