OT:EPA approves pesticide use despite scientists' objections

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EPA approves pesticide use despite scientists' objections

Palm Beach Post - FL

By JOHN LANTIGUA

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Monday, October 08, 2007

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2007

/10/08/1008PESTICIDE.html

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved the use of a

new pesticide in Florida and other states, despite the fact that

more than 50 scientists across the country, including five Nobel

Prize winning chemists, have labeled it potentially dangerous for

pregnant women, fetuses, farmworkers and others living near where it

is sprayed.

The EPA announced last week that iodomethane ñalso known as methyl

iodide ñcan be applied as a fumigant, to prepare fields for the

planting of some vegetables, fruits and ornamental plants.

Read letter by scientists (PDF)

Farmworkers and pesticides

Special report on babies who were born disfigured to mothers and

fathers who work in Florida's fields.

Iodomethane would replace widely used methyl bromide spray, which

has been outlawed because it depletes the ozone layer.

Along with California, Florida is one of the two largest users of

methyl l bromide in the nation and is expected to be one of the two

largest users of the new chemical. The EPA said it expected that

iodomethane would be used on crops such as tomatoes, peppers and

strawberries.

The product in question is produced by a Japanese company called

Arysta and will be marketed in the U.S. under the name Midas.

Pesticide watchdog organizations and the scientists had urged the

EPA not to approve iodomethane because it has been known to cause

cancer in lab experiments and presents other risks, especially to

pregnant women, fetuses and children.

On Sept 24, 54 U.S. scientists, including the Nobel laureates, wrote

a letter to EPA administrator urging him to not

allow the chemical to be used in agriculture in the doses

recommended by Arysta.

But on Friday, the EPA announced that iodomethane had been approved,

marking its disagreement with the scientists..

" The risk assessment process for iodomethane has been one of the

most thorough analyses ever conducted on a new pesticide, " the EPA

announced. " When used according to EPA's strict procedures,

iodomethane is not only an effective pesticide, but also meets the

health and safety standards for registering pesticides. "

The scientists reacted angrily.

" The fact that EPA has ignored our concerns and legalized large-

scale releases of millions of pounds of this chemical is

outrageous, " said Professor Bergman, a chemist at the

University of California, Berkeley and a signer of the letter. " We'd

hoped those in charge at EPA would come to their senses.

Iodomethane is also used in other industries besides agriculture. In

their letter, the scientists had labeled iodomethane " one of the

more toxic chemicals used in manufacturing. "

" Because of this potential toxicity, chemists who work with this

material use the smallest amounts possible and take great

precautions to avoid exposure, " the letter stated.

" Because of methyl iodide's high volatility and water solubility,

broad use of this chemical in agriculture will guarantee substantial

releases to air, surface waters and groundwater, and will result in

exposures for many people, " the scientists continued.

" As chemists and physicians familiar with the effects of this

chemical, we are concerned that pregnant women and the fetus,

children, the elderly, farm workers, and other people living near

application sites would be at serious risk if methyl iodide is

permitted for use in agriculture. "

The EPA defended its testing process and also " the rigorous science

used to support the EPA's decision. " The EPA also said that

iodomethane could only be applied legally " under highly restrictive

provisions governing its use. "

But Kegley, a chemist and senior scientist with the Pesticide

Action Network of North America (PANNA),a watchdog group, called

that unrealistic.

" In Florida, in particular, you have hardly any fumigant regulation

now,' she said. " Who's going to enforce all those requirements?

She said iodomethane would probably be applied on fields that had

been tented with plastic tarps, in order to keep the spray contained.

" But that will direct more spray into the ground and Florida has

very shallow water tables, " she said. " You run the risk of affecting

the water tables and this is a very toxic chemical. "

Comments

By Prof. Dr. Md. Mahbubar Rahman, BSMRAU, Bangladesh

Oct 10, 2007 4:00 AM | Link to this

[As a Pesticide Toxicoilogist, I fully agree with the comments of

the 50 reputed scientists including 5 Nobel Lareates in Chemistry on

the serious hazardous effects of Methyl Iodide, the basic active

ingredient of MIDAS. The Methyl bromide is being phased-out

worldwide because of its ozone depleting effect, then, I wonder, how

a human life killer can get newly approved. The EPA's decision to

register Iodomethane (MIDAS) for agricultural use in Florida is a

cruel decision to kill not only the American farmworkers, elderly,

pregnant women, expected new borns and future promising children,

but also a cruel initiative to spread the lethal chemical to the

third world including Bangladesh to kill people en massee. We by

heart hate this inhumane, nonsense, unilateral self-motivated

business-oriented Hitlary decision of EPA, probably being influenced

by the newly appointed regional director in-disguise representing

Arysta. We strongly urge EPA authority to review the decision before

iodomethane based MIDAS is marketed. EPA's contention that there

would be highly restrictive provisions governing its use (an

unrealistic proposition), is their eventual agreement that it is

realy deadly and extremely hazardous to human. Thus considering the

values of human lives, paying respect to the comments of American

Scientists including 5 Nobel Laureates in Chemistry, the EPA should

definitly respond positively atonce. This is surely an anti-people

decision of the most civilized acclaimed society of the world, when

even the developing world is moving toward enviornment-friendly pest

control system respecting the values of human lives and environment

as a whole.]

By Prof. Dr. Md. Mahbubar Rahman, BSMRAU, Bangladesh

Oct 10, 2007 3:44 AM | Link to this

[The EPA's decision to register Iodomethane for agricultural use in

Florida is a cruel decision to kill not only the American

farmworkers, elderly, pregnant women, expected new borns and future

promising children, but also a cruel initiative to spread the lethal

chemicals en masse to the third world including Bangladesh. We by

heart hate this inhumane, nonsense, unilateral self-motivated

business-oriented Hitlary decision of EPA, probably being influenced

by the newly appointed regional director in-disguise representing

Arysta. We strongly urge EPA authority to review the decision before

iodomethane based MIDAS is marketed. EPA's contention that there

would be highly restrictive provisions governing its use, is their

eventual conclusion that it is realy deadly and extremely hazardous

to human. Thus considering the values of human lives, paying respect

to the comments of American Scientists including 5 Nobel Laureate in

Chemistry, the EPA should definitly respond positively atonce. This

is surely an anti-people decision of the most civilized acclaimed

society of the world, when even the developing world is moving

toward enviornment-friendly pest control system respecting the

values of human lives and environment as a whole.]

By Ele Mooney

Oct 9, 2007 9:43 PM | Link to this

50 scientists across the country-five of them Nobel Prize-winning

chemists warn the EPA(another arm of corporate America) that MIDAS

is capable of damaging biological tissue and can affect the " brains

of fetuses and young children. " Neat. What happens if it enters the

underground water and spreads this contamination? What about birds

and other creatures coming in contact with this hazardous chemical?

The fact that Elin , the CEO of this company, is now an EPA

regional director in four states says it all. I hope Congress has

hearings and just this once....does something to protect the people

from the moral imbeciles that represent the Bush administration. I

also hope the Post and other folks in the media help us do something

to stop this terrible decision from ruining the safety of our people

and our water.

I agree. We need a revolution. This government stinks.