Dangerous--and Un-American

When it comes to symbols of Americana, a juicy slice of watermelon at a Fourth of July weekend picnic is about as American as you can get. Unfortunately, a lot of picnics were spoiled this past weekend when it was discovered that some of the California melon crop was contaminated with a particularly toxic pesticide known as aldicarb. Hundreds of people became ill, considerable panic was created and law-abiding growers in the watermelon industry were harmed--all unnecessarily.

Aldicarb, marketed by Union Carbide under the brand name Temik, is sold in powder or granular form and injected into the soil before or during the planting of certain crops. Aldicarb is a highly effective pesticide in that it kills a number of soil and airborne pests and then breaks down, chemically, in a short time.

The use of aldicarb avoids the hazards involved in spraying. It is selective in killing only pests likely to attack the specific plant in question. Since it is so toxic, however, its use is limited by law to a few food products such as soybeans, citrus and potatoes.

Union Carbide officials said that Temik can be used safely in some crops and not in others because of different growing cycles and other factors. It is banned from use on melons in part because they grow so quickly and have a high water content. Illicit use of aldicarb could, however, add to a farmer’s profit margin because the pesticide is so effective.

Clare Berryhill, the state food and agriculture director, believes that the watermelon scare of 1985 was caused by a small group of growers who used aldicarb illegally. Berryhill vowed that any offenders will be prosecuted. They certainly should be. Free enterprise is in the American tradition, too, but not when it blatantly violates the law and deprives millions of Americans of one of the true treats of the Fourth of July--slices of cold watermelon.