BAN Methyl Iodide Organizing Meeting

SAVE THE DATE!
Methyl Iodide Information Session & Organizing Meeting


Please join Santa Cruz county residents and Pesticide Watch Education Fund for a general information session about the cancerous strawberry pesticide Methyl Iodide. We will strategize/develop the campaign to ban methyl iodide in Santa Cruz County.

The cancer-causing methyl iodide was approved for use in California agriculture 6 months ago. In the past few weeks it has been used on two farms in Fresno County. That is too many, and we need to make sure it is never used in Santa Cruz County on California strawberries and other crops in our area.
The campaign will focus on passing a County-wide resolution against the use of methyl iodide, and raising public awareness about the health impacts and political implications of methyl iodide. We aim to motivate local residents to take action locally and to urge both the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and the EPA to retract approval for its use.

Hope to see you there!
Please e-mail Jenn Laskin with questions.
jennlaskin [at] gmail.com

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Background Information:
As many of you may know, the cancer-causing pesticide, methyl iodide, was approved for agricultural use this year despite the unanimous recommendations against it from the state's own scientists. The potential for heavy use in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties and the focused marketing to growers in our county is horrific and very real. We need to organize to make sure Santa Cruz County takes a stance against the use of this chemical before it causes irreversible and tragic effects on the health of our families, our air and water.

Santa Cruz County could be affected in numerous ways:

* Methyl Iodide is widely used in lab research to create cancer in normal cells ; cancer-causing chemicals in our air will increase cancer rates not just in the agricultural regions, but across the county. Field workers, children, pregnant women, and elderly are among the most vulnerable people. The manufacturer's "strict application guidelines" can't ensure perfect compliance. The wind blows, the tarp covers tear, irrigation and rainwater dissolve the chemical and run off the fields.

* Methyl iodide is a groundwater contaminant and will render our groundwater destroyed for any use, including drinking water.

* The contamination could have devastating effects on the sensitive and natural habitats along the coast and near agricultural fields, destroying wildlife and popular nature reserves.

We need to act now. The EPA and Governor Brown may be open to reexamining the registration of this deathly chemical fumigant, but the spotlight is on Santa Cruz County. As one of the counties which will be most heavily impacted, we need to make our voices heard: we will not accept methyl iodide.