Sacramento Press
by Ali Tabatabai

December 14, 2009 at 9:58PM, Sacramento, CA

100 people rallied in front of the Capitol on Monday, opposing a new pesticide containing methyl iodide that could potentially be used at strawberry farms statewide.

The group - made up of farm laborers from around the state, local activists and consumers - marched from Caesar Chavez Park to the south Capitol steps, carrying signs and chanting slogans characterizing the chemical as a “poison.” Methyl iodide, which would be used as a fumigant sprayed onto field soil, is still awaiting approval by state pesticide officials before it can be sold or used in California.

Organizers of the rally have said the chemical could be “one of the most dangerous pesticides in use,” adding that it is used to create cancer cells in laboratory animals and is listed as a cancer-causing carcinogen under the state’s Proposition 65 statute.

Fair Oaks resident, Gina Colombatto, who attended the rally, said she is concerned about the potential health impact of consuming strawberries sprayed with methyl iodide and supports organic farming over the use of pesticides.

“First you dip the strawberry in methyl iodide and then you dip it in chocolate,” she said, “Why not just skip the chemical and dip it directly into the chocolate.”

Colombatto, who was a board-member for the local organic agriculture education group, Soil Born Farms, said she agreed with other rally participants who decried the use of pesticides to improve the appearance of food, rather than improving their nutritional value.

The methyl iodide pesticide was created to phase out another fumigant, methyl bromide, which was black-listed by the international environmental community for releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases.

In 2007, the U.S. Environmental Protections Agency, registered methyl iodide for pesticide use despite health warnings raised by a group of chemists, including five Nobel laureates.

Several states, including California have yet to enter methyl iodide into their registries of approved pesticides.

According to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, a decision regarding the registration of methyl iodide is expected by January, after the conclusion of an external risk assessment.

Lea Brooks, a spokesperson for DPR who observed the rally, said the state “chose to conduct a risk assessment because numerous animal studies have shown methyl iodide poses a potential risk to public health.”

Brooks also added that in April 2009, the U.S. EPA awarded Arysta LifeScience North America – the company that produces the pesticide – with a “Statospheric Ozone Protection Award” for methyl iodide.

Despite the award, farm laborers like Jose Aguilar continue to oppose the new pesticide. Aguilar, who travelled from Salinas to attend and speak at the rally, said he feels the effects of fumigants days after they are sprayed on the strawberry fields he works in.

“Often we feel bad when we work near [fumigants],” Aguilar said through a Spanish translator.

Aguilar added that he worries that the chemicals in pesticides settle on his clothes and potentially pose a risk to his family.

“More than anything,” said Aguilar, “I want to protect my kids from being impacted.”

Check back with The Sacramento Press for continued coverage on methyl iodide, including its pending registry in California , more on health risks, and impact on local farming and agriculture.