- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez held a hearing of the Food and Agriculture Committee last Thursday to review the Department of Pesticide Regulation's tentative decision to approve the pesticide methyl iodide.
The hearing prompted wide news coverage over the weekend, including a story in the New York Times that said the discussion in California over methyl iodide has implications beyond the Golden State. The U.S.
/span>- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The Department of Pesticide Regulation's announcement in April that it recommends registration of methyl iodide for use in California strawberries has been recently been gaining traction in the news media.
Yesterday, National Public Radio-affiliate KQED produced a five-minute story about the potential use of methyl iodide as an alternative to methyl bromide fumigation of strawberry fields. (Methyl bromide, an ozone depleter, is being phased out.) The story, by Amy Standen, was part of Quest, a multimedia series exploring northern California science, environment and...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The Fresno Bee ran a story on the front page this morning reporting that a scientific panel recommended that the California State Department of Pesticide Regulation reject a request by Tokyo-based Arysta LifeScience Corp. to approve the use of methyl iodide for pest control on California farms and in structures.
The eight-member Scientific Review Committee, chaired by UCLA environmental health sciencies professor John Froines, includes UC San Francisco medicine professor Paul Blanc, UC Berkeley public health professor Katharine Hammond and UC Berkeley environmental health sciences professor Tom McKone.
Methyl iodide was...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Fresno Bee reporter Robert Rodriguez spoke to UC nematologist Michael McKenry for his methyl iodide story, which appeared in today's paper. McKenry's thoughts weren't included in the article, so I'll share some here.
Methyl iodide is a federally approved fumigant that is currently under review by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Farmers see it as a potential alternative for methyl bromide, which is being phased out because it reacts with ozone in the stratosphere, diminishing the earth's protective ozone layer. McKenry said methyl bromide will be unavailable in 2012, but it is already very expensive, costing farmers about $2,500 per acre for...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
They say all publicity is good publicity, so I'll point out a report about UC research that appeared on a blog and radio program titled Uprising - Subverting the Airwaves, broadcast on KBFK radio in Los Angeles and on the Web.
The premise is a proposed substitute for the fumigant methyl bromide, which is being phased out because it has been found to deplete ozone in the earth's atmosphere. The substitute, methyl iodide, was patented by UC Riverside, the story said, and licensed to Arysta LifeScience.
Methyl bromide has been important to the state's strawberry...