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?
- When/If it does run off, whose water supply will it wind up in? Are those people going to be warned?
BTW, this decision comes from that cuddly agency we all know and love, the EPA. In fact, from the same group that claimed they had no authority to regulate CO2 emissions under the Clean Air Act (dirty air is one thing, apparently...warm or life-threatening air is another). Last year, the EPA refused to approve methyl iodide, but that was before they hired Arvesta's former North American CEO. This year, methyl iodide won approval. Oh, another thing the EPA did this year was hire yet another Arvesta executive. But I'm sure that's coincidental. I'm sure our tax dollars aren't being abused here.
If you're as skeptical as I am that these people have your best interests at heart, consider checking out Local Harvest. It's a search engine for farmers' markets, community supported agriculture (CSAs), and other local food sources. The one I'm looking into here in Gainesville offers about 32 weeks' worth of vegetables for two people, for the price of about three organic pears at the local Publix (about $8.75) a week. For a typical family of four, the cost looks like it would be about $15 a week. This is not a price that only elites can afford.
What's the price of Midas to your health? What about your child's health?