The use of sulfur in organic farming may be “natural,” but it’s not harmless

The use of sulfur in organic farming may be “natural,” but it’s not harmless

In California’s agricultural heartland, where fields of grapes and strawberries stretch for miles, a sharp, acrid smell often lingers in the air. That smell is sulfur dioxide — a toxic gas formed when elemental sulfur, the most widely used pesticide in the United States, reacts with sunlight and air.Often promoted as “natural” and approved for organic farming, elemental sulfur is anything but benign. Once applied to crops, it doesn’t just stay i…