board by voting 4-1 to back methyl iodide ban
Salinas, CA – A Valentine Day’s decision by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors to approve a resolution urging Gov. Jerry Brown to ban use of methyl iodide in the fields of California marks another victory for United Farm Workers’ members and supporters. Last Nov. 8, county supervisors in Santa Cruz County, another key strawberry-growing area impacted by the toxic soil fumigant, voted unanimously for a similar measure.
The vote was 4-1 with Supervisors Fernando Armenta, Jane Parker, Dave Potter and Simon Salinas in favor and Supervisor Louis R. Calcagno opposed.
About 100 farm workers testified against the use of methyl iodide before the supervisors.
"It felt great because we’re family-oriented people," said Miriam Garcia, a strawberry worker whose son was born with birth defects and is permanently disabled. "This is something that has to do with the health of the family. It’s great they took that into account. We’re the ones working in the fields. Then, we come home after work and our children hug us not knowing we have pesticides on us."
Garcia believes her son’s health problems were caused by her exposure to pesticides while working in the strawberry fields during her pregnancy.
Seven growers opposed the proposed ban, but in the end Monterey County Board of Supervisors agreed to support the statewide ban on the pesticide methyl iodide commonly used in strawberries fields.
Methyl iodide is a known carcinogen that can also cause spontaneous miscarriages and contaminate groundwater. Injecting it as a gas into the soil presents unacceptable risks to farm workers, nearby rural communities, pregnant women and children.
Last week Gov. Brown appointed Brian Leahy as the new director of California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation. This gives California an opportunity to reverse the decision by former Gov. Schwarzenegger’s administration to permit use of methyl iodide. Currently, more than 85 percent of the country’s strawberries are grown in California.