Cesar Chavez said farm workers are society’s canaries because they show the affects of pesticide poisoning before anyone else. The California Department of Pesticide Regulation just certified methyl iodide for use on fresh fruits and vegetables, especially the state’s $1.6 billion strawberry industry. Methyl iodide replaces methyl bromide, banned by international treaty because it depletes the ozone layer. Methyl bromide was the last of five very toxic poisons the UFW targeted for abolition in the 1980s because of damage to both the environment and farm workers. The state is approving methyl iodide for use by growers even though the new fumigant is on California’s official list of cancer-causing toxics and a state scientific advisory group worries it could poison the air and water. State regulators insist strict guidelines, enforced by county officials, will protect the environment and farm workers. But so many of California’s good laws and regulations protecting farm workers are ignored by too many growers–and state enforcement has been a disgrace under both Republican and Democratic governors. It looks like farm workers will continue to be society’s canaries.
Arturo S. Rodriguez, President
United Farm Workers