California regulators approved a pesticide Wednesday for use by fruit and vegetable growers despite heavy opposition from environmental and farmworker groups that cited its links to cancer.
The state Department of Pesticide Regulation will register methyl iodide as a substitute for the pesticide methyl bromide, which is being phased out by international treaty because it depletes the Earth's protective ozone layer.
The pesticide is included on California's official list of cancer-causing chemicals, and the department's own scientific advisory panel has raised concerns that it could poison the air and water.
The U.S. government has given an ultimatum to the international group that helps provide vaccines to...
