Coming to a Field Near You: Methyl Iodide
Apparently, the EPA has recently approved a replacement for methyl bromide, a powerful pesticide that is known to eat ozone in the upper atmosphere. This may seem like a great move, but the replacement looks to be even worse. Methyl iodide - branded by Arvesta Corporation as Midas - would seem to have some pretty dire health risks. It's so dangerous that only professionals trained in its application can be near the field during and for days after a spraying. Beyond that, the compound is suspected to cause lung cancer and birth defects. And we're going to put it on our food crops. Considering that many farmers over-apply fertilizer and pesticides "just to be sure", since the risks of a low crop yield often include bankruptcy, this raises two questions in my mind: Will all of this stuff somehow magically wash off or disappear before said food hits my table? Do we have any peer-reviewed scientific evidence that it will, or is it just marketing literature from Arvesta that we have to go on? ...
Posted on October 23, 2007 12:04:53 PM EDT
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