Strawberries and water are both big consumable items in my house, but unless the strawberries are organic and the water is bottled or filtered through an osmosis system, my family doesn't eat or drink it.

Does this sound like a fanatic? Hardly, when you consider the recent perchlorate water scare in San Martin and the fact that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has decided to continue allowing farmers to inject methyl bromide into the soil to eliminate worms, insects, rodents and diseases that affect the yields of strawberry plants. Both chemicals are cancerous and have serious environmental ramifications.

With strawberry season kicking into gear, those red, plump berries at the local grocery store may be beautiful, but in order to achieve that uniform rosy look, U.S. farmers use 3.77 million pounds of methyl bromide a year. This is a chemical that was supposed be banned by 2005 in all developing nations because of the harm it causes to the ozone layer, not to mention our bodies. But farmers cried foul, claiming it would decimate the $27 billion U.S. farming industry, and under a recent government exemption, the industry was given the OK to continue using the chemical until it can come up with a viable alternative.

Yes $27 billion is an incredible sum, but what about human life? What price do we place on ourselves? If this chemical destroys everything living in the ground, imagine the long-term effects on our bodies, our children and pregnant women. And it's not just limited to strawberries—this chemical is also used on tomatoes, grapes and various other foods to assure a productive harvest.

Long ago, after reading about the extensive dangers of pesticide spraying, I began consistently buying organic because of the large quantities of fruits and vegetables eaten in my home. I came to realize that eating healthier meant more than favoring fruits and vegetables—it meant making purchases based on how that produce was grown. And yes, organic is pricey, but what about those medical bills? And Californians are luckier than most of the rest of America in that we have so many stores filled with organic choices.

But we also have some of the highest rates of breast cancer and autism in the nation. I have often wondered if it's not because of our proximity to the two A's—agriculture and aerospace, both high-end polluters.

Now reports are out that perchlorate, a chemical predominantly used in the production of rocket fuel, has leached into the water system and contaminated the wells in San Martin, a community south of San Jose.

This chemical is known to impair normal thyroid function, cause thyroid cancer and have effects on the neurological development of fetuses and infants. It has also been associated with attention deficit disorder (ADD), according to various studies. And as far back as 1966, perchlorate has been thought to be a carcinogen. So the fact that it wasn't considered a danger or part of the required cleanup list when Olin Corp. closed up shop after four decades of producing the chemical leaves a wake of concern as to what else is out there.

According to the EPA, "perchlorate is a particularly persistent and problematic pollutant once it contaminates groundwater."

So will it ever be safe to drink the well water in San Martin or its surrounding area? Who would want to take the chance? And the problem is not unique to California; perchlorate has contaminated waters and wells across the country. The single largest source of the chemical is the former Kerr-McGee Corp, a rocket fuel plant outside Las Vegas. The site leaks an estimated 900 pounds of perchlorate a day into a wash that drains into the Colorado River. In California there are more than 300 contaminated sites.

So as citizens, what can we do? The first step is to educate ourselves about what chemicals are in our food and water. The next step is refusing to buy anything but organic. Because the only way to change the behavior of a multibillion-dollar industry is to affect its bottom line.

Moryt Milo is the editor of The Willow Glen Resident. She can be contacted at 400.200.1051 or mmilo@svcn.com.