This afternoon, we had a Facebook chat on the MomsRising.org Facebook page about strawberries, pesticides, methyl iodide, and more. Our expert for the chat, Kathryn Gilje, is the Co-Director for the Pesticide Action Network. We've rounded up all of the questions from the chat as well as Kathryn's answers. For more information on this issue, as well as ways to take action, click here.

Q: Can you wash methyl iodide off of produce?

A: Methyl iodide is a gas that is injected into the soil before planting, and evaporates into the air and moves into the groundwater before the berries grow. So methyl iodide is not likely to be on your produce, though industrial, conventional strawberries do carry residues of 54 other pesticides.Washing produce is always a good idea, but it does not get all the residues off. All the produce and pesticides listed in our WhatsOnMyFood.org database, for instance, were washed and trimmed by USDA before testing, and nearly all have residues. But these residues are mainly in trace amounts so it isn't really a food safety issue (although being exposed to a constant, low-level chemical cocktail can't be good, esp. for kids and pregnant women). We should keep eating produce, and yes buy organic when you can. But we can't shop our way out of this: pesticides are fundamentally a public policy problem. Everyone should have access to healthy and safe food.

We blogged about the residues on produce issue last week: http://www.panna.org/blog/pesticide-residues-fork-farm

Q: Why do farmers use methyl iodide and what are the health effects for consumers?

A: Strawberries grown using industrial production methods have an average of 54 pesticide residues, including several that are linked to cancer or harm the developing brain. When it comes to methyl iodide, a gas that is injected into the soil, those most at risk are farmworkers and neighbors -- people who live near industrial strawberry production. Methyl iodide is being pushed by the chemical manufacturer, Arysta LifeScience. In the United States and around the world, innovative farmers grow fruits, vegetables and other crops without relying on fumigant pesticides like methyl iodide. Organic farmers, for example, don't rely on fumigants or hazardous pesticides at all when growing crops, and there is a thriving organic strawberry industry in California and around the country. For an example of an organic farm, visit the Swanton Berry website.

Q: How much pesticides can toddlers pick up from playing in grass that has been "sprayed"? My two year old loves any grass - walking barefoot, rolling in it, playing, picnicking - and I wonder if she is picking up anything from how it is treated. Our condo lawn company says only when it is "wet" from the lawn treatment is it dangerous to her, but that seems vague to me. Thank you!

A: Unfortunately, children are extremely vulnerable to exposure to pesticides because they are smaller, their bodily systems are rapidly developing, and because they crawl close to pesticides, put things in their mouths, etc. Children and pesticides just don't mix. I would encourage you to work with your condo association to move to an organic lawn care management program/provider, and for you to avoid having your child exposed to the pesticide mixture until then. If you let us know what specific pesticides they are using, we can give you move info about specific effects.

Q: How did methyl iodide ever get approved in the first place?

A: Despite scientist concern and public outcry, in the final days of both the Bush and Schwarzenegger administrations, officials approved methyl iodide nationally, and in California in 2007 and 2010, respectively. Methyl iodide, "one of the most toxic chemicals on earth," was aggressively pushed by manufacturer Arysta LifeScience Corporation, the largest private pesticide company in the world. Reversal of these decisions lies in the hands of California Governor Jerry Brown and U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. It's up to us to make sure that chemical industry influence doesn't overrule science as our government leaders decide.

Q: I'm wondering what the effects to the body are on those who work on the fields as well as those who eat the strawberries and whether organic strawberries are really safer?

A: Methyl iodide is a known carcinogen and neurotoxin that causes late-term miscarriages. Scientists using this chemical in the lab to induce cancer in cells take serious precautions — using a ventilation hood and protective gear when handling small amounts. In California, methyl iodide would be injected into the soil as a gas at rates of up to 100 lbs per acre. In addition to the threat posed to farmworkers and communities living next to strawberry fields, methyl iodide would likely contaminate groundwater.

Q: I would like to know what happens with the chemicals when the old plants are burned out at the end of the season?

A: Some pesticides stay in the soil and water for a long time, while others evaporate more quickly into the air.

Q: How much can we moms do with our purchasing power vs getting involved on a legislative level (i.e. calling our reps asking them to protect our families)?

A: Moms have really been leading on this issue, which is so inspiring. To get engaged in the marketplace, see: www.safestrawberry.org -- if you'd like, download the pledge for your retailer to supply safe strawberries! And the political action is so important. (

Q: in my townhouse complex, they spray the grass and post little flags.. randomly... that say "no children or pets for 72 hrs" and who knows when that first started. Apparently in the US there are no laws about pesticide use on lawns. In Canada, it's pesticide free lawn care.. or so i've heard. My dog died of bladder cancer from, what I believe to be, pesticide usage. He was a low to the ground basset hound mix. it gets into the mucus membranes. so sad !!

A: Hi Michelle -- this is so sad. Yes, I agree with you that Canada has made more progress on healthy lawn laws, free of pesticides, than we have here...though many people around the country are moving forward with safe and organic lawn management. Thanks for commenting.

Q: Is there a link between birth defects and methyl iodide, and do we know the long-term effects of methyl-iodide exposure?

A: Methyl iodide is one of the most toxic chemicals on earth, according to scientists. In addition to cancer, it can cause miscarriages and genetic damage, and can harm children's developing brains.

Q: Is methyl iodide found on all strawberries that aren't organic? Including strawberries in ice cream, dried strawberries, strawberry fruit leather, etc.?

A: Although a serious concern for rural neighbors, methyl iodide is not found on most strawberries, conventional or organic. Check out www.whatsonmyfood.org for the list of 54 pesticides that are found on conventional strawberries, though. :(.