CA governor pressed for registration of highly toxic fumigant

According to inside sources, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is being pressured by corporate interests to fast-track registration of a new pesticide, despite serious concerns from the state's own scientists at the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR). At issue is the new fumigant pesticide methyl iodide (Iodomethane). Highly toxic, and not yet approved for use in California, this chemical has been given a comprehensive review by DPR, and the agency's registration decision is pending advice from a panel of scientists convened specifically to review this chemical. "Methyl iodide is so toxic that scientists working with it in the laboratory take extreme precautions when handling it, using a ventilation hood, gloves, and special equipment for transferring it so it does not escape to the air," notes Dr. Susan Kegley, a chemist and consulting scientist for Pesticide Action Network. "This degree of protection is not possible in an agricultural setting where the pesticide would be applied at rates of 175 pounds per acre in the open air. Buffer zones of 400 feet for a 40-acre fumigation would still result in a dose of methyl iodide to neighbors that is 375 times higher than DPR believes is acceptable. For workers, the numbers are much worse, with exposures estimated at 3,000 times higher than DPR's acceptable dose for some tasks." Methyl iodide's manufacturer, Arysta, withdrew its New York application for registration after state officials raised concerns about groundwater contamination and potential exposure for workers, bystanders and nearby residents, especially children, pregnant women and the elderly. Industry is asking California's governor to order DPR to register the fumigant.

California should be leading the way in safe and sustainable agriculture -- not losing ground.

For the first time in many years, California's Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) is considering adding a new fumigant to its list of pesticides approved for agricultural use. Methyl iodide has been approved nationally, rejected by New York, and is now up for review in California.

Methyl iodide is a known carcinogen so dangerous that over 50 scientists -- 5 of them Nobel Laureates -- sent a letter to the EPA expressing astonishment that the US is "working to legalize broadcast releases of one of the more toxic chemicals used in manufacturing into the environment."

As the largest market for this new chemical, California's choice will send a clear signal to methyl iodide's manufacturer, and the EPA has indicated that California's decision will have an impact on national use. Now is the time to stop methyl iodide in its tracks.