Fresno County farm workers, residents, and those who are unhappy about the use of Methyl Iodide in local farms, protested outside the Fresno Ag Commissioner’s Office. “We're very concerned that Fresno County is the first county to see this very dangerous chemical being applied,” said Sarah Sharpe, a Fresno County resident.
But the Ag Commission says if used properly and in moderation it’s safe. They add it's only been used once so far in Fresno County. It's normally injected into the ground prior to planting.
“In this case it was 12 to 15 inches deep, and then immediately a tarp was rolled over the top of it to contain the material in the sod,” said Les Wright of the Fresno County Ag Commission.
Methyl iodide was approved in the U.S. by the EPA in 2007 and in California last year. Despite the fact that just months earlier, the California department of pesticide regulation found it to be highly toxic and said it could cause problems like fetal death, neurotoxicity and reproductive toxicity.
“Without question the scientific community has said this chemical is too toxic for use in our state,” said Paul Towers, with the Pesticide Watch Education Fund.
The Fresno County Ag Commissioner's Office says they only regulate whether approved pesticides are used properly. “We cannot ban it, we cannot supersede state law,” said Wright.
