California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is joining the battle against methyl iodide by asking federal regulators to reconsider approval of the chemical intended for use as a strawberry pesticide.
On Aug. 5, Feinstein sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), expressing concern over scientific data linking methyl iodide exposure to miscarriages and cancer. As a result, the EPA announced the agency would review a petition filed by Earthjustice, an environmental law group, to ban the chemical nationwide.
“The senator’s letter sends a clear signal that federal decision-makers are adhering to the strong independent science that California scientists put forward,” said Paul Towers, state director of Pesticide Watch. “Methyl iodide is far too toxic for use in California, and Sen. Feinstein, the [EPA], and key California leaders and scientists recognize that we need to take steps to move away from toxic chemicals and toward sustainable strawberry farming.”
According to Earthjustice, the EPA will open up a national public comment period on the chemical’s approval to address the “complexity of the issues raised and the public interest in methyl iodide.”
The EPA approved methyl iodide as a soil fumigant in 2007. It was intended to replace methyl bromide, an ozone-depleting chemical used primarily as a pesticide on strawberry fields. However, the state’s Department of Pesticide Regulation opted not to register methyl iodide until a lengthy review process could be completed. The department tentatively approved registration of the chemical in April, despite scientific evidence its use could cause serious health problems in humans.
“The EPA’s job is to protect the health of consumers who eat produce and communities who live near fields, not the profits of pesticide companies,” said Teresa DeAnda, president of pesticide advocacy group El Comité Para el Bienestar de Earlimart, in a press release. “I hope they take this chance to do the right thing and ban methyl iodide.”
The letter wasn’t the first Feinstein has sent to federal regulators regarding methyl iodide. In July, the senator wrote to the EPA, decrying the agency’s approval of the chemical “despite opposition by hundreds of leading scientists.”
Arysta LifeScience, a Tokyo-based corporation, manufactures methyl iodide and has lobbied Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for its registration as a pesticide. If approved, the chemical would be used as a soil fumigant on strawberries throughout the state.
If the state declines registration of methyl iodide, it would be the third state in the nation to do so, after New York and Washington.
This article appears in Aug 12-19, 2010.
