California officials have received a record number of public comments regarding the use of methyl iodide, a controversial pesticide that could be used by the state’s strawberry and flower growers.
In a recent interview with the Sun, Department of Pesticide Regulation spokesperson Lea Brooks said her office
is in the midst of reviewing more than 53,000 messages expressing interest in
the chemical.
“Most of them are e-mails generated by social networking sites,” Brooks said, adding that this is the first time the department has been involved with a topic controversial enough to generate a social network campaign.
When asked about the content of the messages, Brooks said they mostly oppose the use of methyl iodide.
It should take several months to evaluate all of the messages and make the appropriate decisions. If methyl iodide were to be used in California, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would have to approve state-specific levels, along with stricter regulations for application to crops.
California is one of three states in the nation that doesn’t allow the use of methyl iodide. Critics say the chemical can cause cancer, miscarriages, and damage to the nervous system. Growers say they need an alternative to methyl bromide, a pesticide that was banned because it’s been proven to harm the ozone layer.
This article appears in Jul 15-22, 2010.