Government Agency Chooses Money Over Health: Cancer-Causing Strawberry Pesticide Methyl Iodide Approved in CA
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation just announced its decision to approve the use of the cancer-causing strawberry pesticide methyl iodide. Ignoring the recommendations of expert scientists, and the concerns of thousands of Californians, this agency has shown once again that money is more important than California’s health.
Thanks to all of you who added your name to our letter about methyl iodide to Governor-elect Brown. We’re asking him, as soon as he takes office, to follow scientists’ recommendations and put a moratorium on use of this toxic chemical. He has just announced that he wants to hear from you: “If this is a serious concern to the people of California, it is something he will take a look at,” said Brown’s spokesman Sterling Clifford.
Now is a perfect time to add your name to our letter.
Here’s one more thing that you can do: it’s not really strawberry season, but next time you’re buying strawberry jam or strawberry ice cream, buy organic. Those berries are grown without methyl iodide. Together, the groceries we buy can make sure that more and more of California’s strawberries are organic and that methyl iodide doesn’t have much of a market in our state.