Company Halts U.S. Sales of Fumigant March 21, 2012, 2:08 pm The maker of Midas, a controversial pesticide for strawberries, says it is pulling the chemical from the American market. California regulators approved use of the substance, methyl iodide, in 2010 despite opposition from scientists and environmental and farm workers who say that it is highly toxic. The manufacturer, Arysta LifeScience, said its decision to end sales was based on the product's economic viability in the United States.