Methyl Bromide and International Treaty Obligations

Methyl Bromide Controversy Reveals the Politics of Pesticides

On the one side, farmers and related businesses -- and, no doubt, we consumers -- want "abundant, pest-free and affordable produce."

On the other side, exposure to this chemical can cause convulsions, coma, and in some cases, death, and little is known about the long-term effects of low levels of exposure. Methyl bromide also depletes the ozone layer.

Which means,

On the other other side, the United States signed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, committing to phasing out use of this chemical by 2005. This phaseout is not complete, although use has dropped since 1991. This year's total tons exempted, however, is higher than last year's amount.

• USDA's MeBr Alternatives Page
• The Phaseout of Methyl Bromide EPA's Ozone Depletion Rules and Regulations. (Includes last week's notice of proposed rulemaking, and a fact sheet regarding the "critical use" exemption from the phaseout.)
• JORGE FERNANDEZ et al VS. CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PESTICIDE REGULATION et al From the SF Superior Court. Not much to look at, but some.

So, here's a couple of ponderables:

1. What price -- physical, in the breadth of consumer choice available, or financial -- are we willing to pay, for our strawberries and tomatoes?

2. If in the right area, could the use of this methyl bromide in some way run afoul of the Endangered Species Act? Two farmworkers in the article above *did* describe animal deaths due to apparent exposure.