Methyl iodide – Infinite Unknown

Criminals!

Must-read:

– And Now: One Of The World’s Most Dangerous Chemicals As Pesticide In Strawberry Fields:

Think strawberries are expensive now? Wait until they start costing people their lives!

California is about to sign off on an insane plan that would allow farmers to use one of the world’s most dangerous chemicals as a pesticide on strawberry plants.

It’s called methyl iodide, and even some chemists won’t go near it. It’s such a powerful and reliable carcinogen that researchers use it to induce cancer in lab animals.

But go ahead, take a bite. California says it’s OK — and never mind the five Nobel-winning chemists and dozens of other experts who’ve written a letter begging the EPA to keep this poison out of strawberry fields, forever.

Who do you believe — a roomful of Nobel winners and their trusted colleagues, or a bunch of politically motivated bureaucrats?

This toxic monster has been linked to thyroid tumors, nerve damage, and brain and lung problems. It’s also been known to cause miscarriages in lab animals — when it’s not being used to give them cancer.

No wonder it’s such a great pesticide — it can destroy just about anything. The pests don’t stand a chance… and neither do you if you get too close to this poison.

Experts say a good breeze can even send methyl iodide airborne… and if you think U.S. groundwater is bad now, wait until this junk starts seeping in.

California approves use of pesticide linked to cancer

A farmer spraying pesticide on a crop of vegetables. Long-term exposure to pesticides may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, according to a study released Thursday.

FRESNO, Calif. – California regulators approved a pesticide Wednesday for use by fruit and vegetable growers despite heavy opposition from environmental and farmworker groups that cited its links to cancer.

The state Department of Pesticide Regulation will register methyl iodide as a substitute for the pesticide methyl bromide, which is being phased out by international treaty because it depletes the Earth’s protective ozone layer.

California’s $1.6 billion strawberry industry will undoubtedly provide one of the biggest markets for the chemical, as will the Central Valley’s nut orchards and the fresh flower nurseries dotting the coast in Ventura and San Diego counties.

The pesticide is included on California’s official list of cancer-causing chemicals, and the department’s own scientific advisory panel has raised concerns that it could poison the air and water.

– Dangerous new pesticide coming to the produce aisle:

Think strawberries are expensive now? Wait until they start costing people their lives!

California is about to sign off on an insane plan that would allow farmers to use one of the world’s most dangerous chemicals as a pesticide on strawberry plants.

It’s called methyl iodide, and even some chemists won’t go near it. It’s such a powerful and reliable carcinogen that researchers use it to induce cancer in lab animals.

But go ahead, take a bite. California says it’s OK — and never mind the five Nobel-winning chemists and dozens of other experts who’ve written a letter begging the EPA to keep this poison out of strawberry fields, forever.

Who do you believe — a roomful of Nobel winners and their trusted colleagues, or a bunch of politically motivated bureaucrats?

This toxic monster has been linked to thyroid tumors, nerve damage, and brain and lung problems. It’s also been known to cause miscarriages in lab animals — when it’s not being used to give them cancer.

No wonder it’s such a great pesticide — it can destroy just about anything. The pests don’t stand a chance… and neither do you if you get too close to this poison.

Experts say a good breeze can even send methyl iodide airborne… and if you think U.S. groundwater is bad now, wait until this junk starts seeping in.

And now compare this information to the following Los Angeles Times article …

The Environmental Working Group, an advocacy group, ranks strawberries as one of the three worst fruits and vegetables with regard to pesticide exposure. (Peaches and celery are the other two.) (Los Angeles Times)

California strawberry farmers may soon have a new pesticide to use on their fields. The state’s Department of Pesticide Regulation is recommending approving use of the soil fumigant methyl iodide.

However, scientists say that methyl iodide is very toxic and can cause cancer, brain damage and miscarriages. An independent panel of scientists, invited to review the health risk data and safe exposure levels recommended for farmworkers and nearby communities, were shocked that the state is still moving toward approval and at higher levels of exposure than what the department’s scientists proposed.

Methyl iodide received approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2007, accompanied by a similar uproar. Fifty-four eminent academic scientists and physicians wrote a letter to the agency, urging them to prevent the chemical’s use.