Removing methyl bromide from shipping operations

Bioreactors for removing methyl bromide following contained fumigations.

Use of methyl bromide (MeBr) as a quarantine, commodity, or structural fumigant is under scrutiny because its release to the atmosphere contributes to the depletion of stratospheric ozone. A closed-system bioreactor consisting of 0.5 L of a growing culture of a previously described bacterium, strain IMB-1, removed MeBr (> 110 micromol L(-1)) from recirculating air. Strain IMB-1 grew slowly to h...

Methyl bromide alternatives evaluated

Methyl bromide under fire.

Methyl Bromide under Fire Methyl bromide is one of the most widely used pesticides in the world, a broad-spectrum fumigant effective in controlling insects, nematodes, fungi, and bacteria. Methyl bromide is also highly toxic to humans. In December 1993, the EPA listed methyl bromide as a stratospheric ozone-depleting substance subject to phase-out. The final rule, issued 1 January 1994, freezes...

Methyl bromide poisoning.

Methyl bromide is a highly volatile liquid which disperses rapidly and readily. As a fumigant it ranks amongst the most efficient because of its extremely effective penetrating power and absence of fire or explosion hazard. It is, unfortunately, highly toxic and poisoning occurs readily in circumstances of careless or inadvertent exposure. Before 1940, only 42 cases of methyl bromide poisoning ...

Fatal methyl bromide poisoning.

Methyl bromide was commonly used in fire extinguishers in aircraft engines and in submarines during the second world war. Now it is widely used as a fumigant insecticide in grain stores.' 2 Mortality after intoxication by methyl bromide vapour may be high,' and is often associated with convulsions, usually resistant to standard anticonvulsant chemotherapy.' s We wish to draw attention to the co...