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The Tokyo manufacturer Arysta LifeScience Inc. announced it will suspend the sale of Midas, a methyl-iodide-based chemical used to fumigate strawberry fields before planting. Methyl iodide was approved for use in California, the state that produces more than 90 percent of the country's strawberry supply, in the last days of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration. For nearly six years, consumers, scientists, and public health experts have been pressuring California to retract approval of the carcinogenic pesticide based on studies finding it causes DNA damage, miscarriage, thyroid disease, and birth defects.
In the last six years, dozens of scientists, including five Nobel Laureates, raised red flags warning of the dangers of the highly volatile chemical. In fact, John Froines, PhD, chair of California's Scientific Review Committee, called methyl iodide "one of the most toxic chemicals on earth" in 2010.
Pulling the chemical from the U.S. market is considered a huge win for concerned families, farmer protection groups, and grassroots health and environmental groups.
In the last six years, dozens of scientists, including five Nobel Laureates, raised red flags warning of the dangers of the highly volatile chemical. In fact, John Froines, PhD, chair of California's Scientific Review Committee, called methyl iodide "one of the most toxic chemicals on earth" in 2010.
Pulling the chemical from the U.S. market is considered a huge win for concerned families, farmer protection groups, and grassroots health and environmental groups.
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