The Tokyo-based company that manufactures methyl iodide announced plans yesterday to pull the controversial fumigant from the U.S. market. Arysta, which markets the chemical in the U.S. under the name Midas, said in a statement the decision about methyl iodide came after “an internal review of the fumigant and [was] based on its economic viability in the U.S. marketplace.”
The Tokyo-based company that manufactures methyl iodide announced plans yesterday to pull the controversial fumigant from the U.S. market. Arysta, which markets the chemical in the U.S. under the name Midas, said in a statement the decision about methyl iodide came after “an internal review of the fumigant and [was] based on its economic viability in the U.S. marketplace.” Methyl iodide is listed as a carcinogen under state proposition 65.
Assemblymember Luis Alejo told the Santa Cruz Sentinel there is still work to be done on behalf of California agriculture in the wake of Arysta’s decision on the agricultural fumigant. Alejo said the recent change could send “shock waves” across the nation, particularly in the strawberry industry, which has a large presence in Santa Cruz County as well as the Oxnard area.
“We can't just say it's over,” Alejo told the Sentinel. “As we continue to face the worst fiscal crisis in the history of California, the potential loss of agriculture jobs and revenue is unthinkable and unacceptable.”
Paul Towers, a spokesman for the Pesticide Action Network, and Assemblymember Bill Monning were both pleased to hear the news about the fumigant, which studies have linked to cancer and birth defects. Each of them expects there to be a new frontier in finding safe alternatives to the chemical, which was introduced to replace the ozone-depleting fumigant methyl bromide.
Read more at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
