Blog Action Day
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The subject I’m speaking about today is methyl iodide from hence forth referred to as MeI.
Some of the things I know about MeI:
After years of being banned, being touted as too toxic, too dangerous it’s now being considered for the production of strawberries. Isn’t that special!
There are proposals for its use a soil disinfectant, a soil fumigant, a fungicide, herbicide, insecticide and a fire extinguisher.
People in the know who have valiantly tried to block its usage:
http://www.panna.org/resources/documents/meiReg20070924.pdf
It’s dangerous to laboratory workers.
http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/f?./temp/~qxnNgQ:1
Chemists who work with it have to take special precautions. I recently heard about a laboratory worker’s wife who spoke up of how her husband feared to work with the substance. It’s more dangerous than related chlorides and bromides according to the experts.
This crap mutates DNA!
No wait…maybe I should have been more objective, more eloquent. This chemical reacts to genetic material in cells, alters the structure and leads to mutations. WTH! And it’s a known carcinogen. Just what we need…another one touching the food we eat. And if we allow this to happen it isn’t just the food we eat, it can and will contaminate ground water.
It contributes to ground level ozone…which in turn exacerbates many lung/breathing related maladies. This acutely toxic chemical affects the nervous system, the lungs, liver, and kidneys.
http://www.panna.org/campaigns/docsDrift/MeI_EPA_Cancer.pdf
http://www.iodine.com/methyliodide.htm
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/mba/april96/yatest.htm
http://www.panna.org/campaigns/docsDrift/MeI_EPA_Health.pdf
The rats have died…or worse. Animal studies:
http://www.panna.org/campaigns/docsDrift/HSDBAnimalTox.pdf
So why in the world would this substance be allowed anywhere near our food sources? Why is the EPA allowing this to happen?
Remember “P” stands for Protection!
Do you believe in coincidence?
Arysta, the company who produces this horrible chemical has toiled for eight long years and invested more than 11 million of their hard earn dollars trying to persuade the EPA to register methyl iodide as a pesticide. What would $11 mil of persuasion feel like? And the EPA hung tough! Way to go!
Until…
Arysta’s former chief executive, Elin Miller,…(oh, no where is he now?)
He’s now a top official at the EPA and has been appointed administrator of its northwest region last year. Can anyone say, “Conflict of interest.” Repeat after me; “Conflict of interest.” A little louder now: “CONFLICT OF INTEREST!!!!!”
Imagine that….the EPA has placed the fox in the hen house, they’ve hired a chemical company mogul to protect the environment.
I guess we can’t really expect that the Environmental “Protection” Agency actually plans on protecting us.
