(besides that they typically taste better)
The State of California has proposed approving the strawberry fumigant methyl iodide. The state would require further, stringent regulations on the use of the soil fumigant, going beyond the federal rules that allow for its use in other states. But the stricter measures have done little to quell the fears of opponents.
Methyl iodide is a replacement for methyl bromide, a pesticide that is known to contribute to depletion of the ozone layer and is being phased out under the Montreal Protocol on ozone-depleting substances. Methyl iodide is an effective pesticide and ozone-friendly, but it is a known mutagen, and it could cause cancer, nerve damage or fetal-development problems among workers and people living near fumigated fields.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the fumigant in October 2007, finding it safe for use. But a report by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) concluded in 2009 that the compound posed "significant health risks". The DPR commissioned an independent review, which stated amongst its findings that "adequate control of human exposure would be difficult, if not impossible". Nevertheless, the DPR decided on 30 April that further restrictions would make methyl iodide safe enough for use.
Read more here, in Nature News.
Showing posts with label pesticides. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pesticides. Show all posts
Friday, May 7, 2010
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Pesticide Restrictions in the SF Bay Area
EPA ready to settle Bay Area pesticide suit
Jane Kay, SF Chronicle, July 2, 2009
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed to formally evaluate the harmful effects of 74 pesticides on 11 endangered and threatened species in the San Francisco Bay Area over the next five years, and to impose interim restrictions on use of these pesticides in and adjacent to endangered species habitats.
The proposal stems from a settlement agreement with the Center for Biological Diversity, which sued the EPA in 2007 for violating the Endangered Species Act by registering and allowing the use of toxic pesticides in Bay Area endangered species habitats without determining whether or not the chemicals jeopardize those species’ existence.
The EPA is accepting comments on the proposed settlement agreement for 15 days, and then will make a decision whether or not to agree. A public copy of the agreement was not located on the EPA website.
Read the complete story in the Chronicle: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/02/BAO518HNC9.DTL
Read the Center's press release: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2009/pesticides-07-01-2009.html
Jane Kay, SF Chronicle, July 2, 2009
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed to formally evaluate the harmful effects of 74 pesticides on 11 endangered and threatened species in the San Francisco Bay Area over the next five years, and to impose interim restrictions on use of these pesticides in and adjacent to endangered species habitats.
The proposal stems from a settlement agreement with the Center for Biological Diversity, which sued the EPA in 2007 for violating the Endangered Species Act by registering and allowing the use of toxic pesticides in Bay Area endangered species habitats without determining whether or not the chemicals jeopardize those species’ existence.
The EPA is accepting comments on the proposed settlement agreement for 15 days, and then will make a decision whether or not to agree. A public copy of the agreement was not located on the EPA website.
Read the complete story in the Chronicle: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/02/BAO518HNC9.DTL
Read the Center's press release: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2009/pesticides-07-01-2009.html
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