Progress! California's Ventura County Rescinds Methyl Iodide Permit

California's Ventura County almost let a cancer-causing neurotoxin onto its crop fields — almost.

An Oxnard-area farmer recently applied for a permit to use methyl iodide, a fumigant pesticide so poisonous it's been linked to cancers, miscarriages, neurological disorders, and other health issues. While Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner Henry Gonzales issued the farmer a permit last Wednesday, Gonzales rescinded the approval just one day later. The quick take-back came after Gonzales learned that the grower's fields were located just one-half mile from a playground.

The permit-rescinding is a small victory, but it's prompted larger progress in Ventura County at large: The law states that agricultural commissioners can review pesticide permits during the nine days after they are issued. However, Gonzales promised that from now on, his office will complete all reviews of requested methyl iodide permits before they are actually issued.

What's even more encouraging is the fact that this local victory is part of a much larger narrative. Despite methyl iodide's known health risks, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the pesticide for use back in 2007. Then in late 2010, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) also greenlighted the fumigant for use in the state despite huge opposition from environmentalists, scientists, and farmworker groups.

But as concerned citizens, non-profits, and scientists continue to protest the use of methyl iodide, it looks like pesticide officials are starting to cave. The EPA recently opened up a public comment period on a petition filed a year ago by a coalition of non-profits. The petition asks EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to immediately remove methyl iodide from the marketplace until further scientific research is conducted on the pesticide's safety (or lack thereof). Shortly after the EPA's announcement, California's Governor Jerry Brown said that he would "take a fresh look" at the state's approval of the fumigant. Then just last week, members of California's Legislature submitted a letter to the EPA asking officials to re-evaluate the pesticide. The progress made in Ventura County is just one more sign that the numerous campaigns against methyl iodide are starting to make a big impact.

Methyl iodide is so toxic it's actually used in lab settings to grow cancer cells. Exposure to the fumigant can cause cancers, late-term miscarriages, thyroid problems, and neurological issues, while just breathing in methyl iodide can induce slurred speech, vomiting, and kidney problems. There's no reason methyl iodide should be used on any agricultural field anywhere in the world.

The EPA is accepting comments until April 30th on the petition to pull methyl iodide from the marketplace. That means we have fewer than two weeks to make our voices hear. Take action now, and sign Pesticide Action Network's petition asking EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to ditch methyl iodide.

Photo credit: benketaro via Flickr