EPA approves 1-year use of pesticide despite warnings from over 50 scientists/chemists

[babylonsister]

EPA approves 1-year use of pesticide

By RITA BEAMISH, Associated Press Writer Sat Oct 6, 7:01 AM ET

The Environmental Protection Agency gave the go-ahead for one-year use of a new agricultural pesticide Friday, saying its own scientific review overrides health concerns expressed by more than 50 chemists and other scientists.

Methyl iodide, also known as iodomethane, will be allowed to control soil pests "under highly restrictive provisions governing its use," the EPA said in a statement.

"When used according to EPA's strict procedures, iodomethane is not only an effective pesticide, but also meets the health and safety standards for registering pesticides," the agency said.

Methyl iodide was developed by Tokyo-based Arysta LifeScience Corp. as an alternative to the widely used fumigant methyl bromide, which has been banned under an international treaty because it depletes the ozone layer. Like methyl bromide, the new product, to be sold under the name MIDAS, kills off weeds and soil pests before planting a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

The EPA said its decision was based on four years of risk assessment studies, constituting "one of the most thorough analyses ever completed by the agency for a pesticide registration action."

"The agency concluded that there are adequate safety margins and the registration of iodomethane does not pose unreasonable risks," the agency said. Last week, however, a group of 54 scientists, including six Nobel Prize winners, sent a letter to EPA urging that the pesticide not be registered for use because of the potential danger to pregnant women and children, the elderly and farmworkers.

more...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071006/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/farm_pesticide;_ylt=Amc3QWHGf_63Q.CgqX.b45ys0NUE

[Mythsaje]

1. The EPA is hardly protecting ANYTHING under Republican rule...n/t

[Turbineguy]

2. The repubs insist

that more orphans are needed.

[kimmerspixelated]

3. I know!

It really makes me sick! Bastards!

[Lone_Star_Dem]

4. The EPA appears to be redefining what an unreasonable risks is these days.

Lives are no longer the focus but rather finance.

[babylonsister]

5. Sounds like DHS, FEMA, etc. nt

[Lone_Star_Dem]

6. It's a symptom of a corporate sponsored government.

It's also a glaring reason why such governments are dangerous to the general population.

[blues90]

7. The corporations could care less about health risks

All my life these chemical companies have been dumping crap onto the ground and air . It's amazing some of us older boomers are still alive .

All of this crap ends up in the water and food supply , one way of another . You really wonder how many years this crap hangs around still posing a risk .