By Mary Duan/Monterrey County Weekly/March 29, 2012
In California methyl iodide, was used primarily to sterilize soil before planting strawberries. Photo by David Bacon.
In a significant win for California public health, the manufacturer of the pesticide methyl iodide announced last month that they were immediately suspending all sales of the known carcinogen in the United States. The announcement came on the eve of an Alameda County Superior Court judge's decision - in a CRLA-litigated case - compelling the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to rescind registration of this highly toxic pesticide.
The pulling of methyl iodide from the U.S. market is a tremendous public health victory; our clients, Central Coast farm workers José Hidalgo and Zeferino Estrada, are overjoyed at the announcement. Pesticides containing methyl iodide, manufactured by Arysta Life Science, were used only six times in California in 2011. Methyl iodide was scheduled to replace the methyl bromide, which has been banned by international agreement. In California methyl iodide, was used primarily to sterilize soil before planting strawberries. CRLA and a coalition of farmworkers, rural residents, and environmental organizations have been advocating for a ban on this controversial and deadly pesticide even before it was registered by the Department of Pesticide Regulataion (DPR) in 2010 and approved to use in California. In registering methyl iodide, DPR ignored a large body of scientific information, including its own scientists and a DPR appointed neutral body of scientists that said the substance should not be released into the environment for agricultural purposes.
While we celebrate the good news for California public health, CRLA and our co-counsel, EarthJustice, continue to move forward with the lawsuit. Without a court ruling in place, there's no guarantee that dangerous oversights like the registration of methyl iodide won't continue in the future.
"This is a critical public policy issue," said CRLA Director of Litigation Mike Meuter. "The court ruling can help reform the registration process for dangerous pesticides like Methyl Iodide and others that may come in the future. The Californians involved in the process of applying these pesticides, as well as those who live in rural areas, are at risk of exposure to these pesticides and need protection in the long term."
Arysta has asked that the court dismiss the lawsuit against the company in light of their decision to pull the chemical from the U.S. market. There will be a hearing on May 1 to decide the fate of the case.