In light of California studies on the harmful effects of fumigant pesticide methyl iodide, 11 environmental, public health, and farmworker advocacy organizations recently filed a petition with the EPA to rescind the Bush administration’s previous nationwide approval of the pesticide. The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (the state has its own review process) is currently considering approval of methyl iodide usage, but environmental watchdogs like Earthjustice claim it causes a variety of health problems including cancer, thyroid diseases, and late-term miscarriages. The pesticide is primarily used on tomato and strawberry fields, of which Santa Barbara has many.
