scholarly journals Sulfuryl Fluoride Poisonings in Structural Fumigation, a Highly Regulated Industry—Potential Causes and Solutions

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. 2026
Author(s):  
Tracy Barreau ◽  
Sumi Hoshiko ◽  
Rick Kreutzer ◽  
Svetlana Smorodinsky ◽  
John Talarico
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Pulmonary Edema ◽  
Physical Characteristics ◽  
Regulatory Oversight ◽  
Sulfuryl Fluoride ◽  
Fluoride Exposure ◽  
Warm Weather ◽  
Dry Wood ◽  
Structural Fumigation

Structural fumigations using sulfuryl fluoride for the extermination of dry-wood termites are conducted by the thousands in California and other warm-weather states. Sulfuryl fluoride is an odorless gas that targets the nervous system and can cause respiratory irritation, pulmonary edema, nausea, vomiting, seizures, and death. Structural voids or compartments such as wall sockets, crawl spaces, cabinets, or cells in air mattresses may create ongoing exposure after a structure has been certified as safe. The authors describe a case of potential sulfuryl fluoride exposure to a family following home fumigation. Despite regulation, sulfuryl fluoride poisonings from structural fumigations continue to occur. This article examines the physical characteristics of sulfuryl fluoride and the regulatory oversight of its application, in an effort to understand how and why these poisonings happen. Increasing aeration times of fumigated structures, overseeing monitoring efficacy, and using technology to capture clearance data could reduce sulfuryl fluoride exposure and illness.

Structural Fumigation

2008 ◽  
pp. 3604-3610
Author(s):  
John B. Heppner ◽  
David B. Richman ◽  
Steven E. Naranjo ◽  
Dale Habeck ◽  
Christopher Asaro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Fumigation

scholarly journals Recent trends in atmospheric methyl bromide: analysis of post-Montreal Protocol variability

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (16) ◽  
pp. 5963-5974 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Yvon-Lewis ◽  
E. S. Saltzman ◽  
S. A. Montzka
Keyword(s):  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Methyl Bromide ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Montreal Protocol ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Combined Effects ◽  
Global Budget ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
Structural Fumigation

Abstract. The atmospheric methyl bromide (CH3Br) burden has declined in recent years, in response to the phaseout of agricultural and structural fumigation consumption under the amendments to the Montreal Protocol. The timing and magnitude of this decrease represents an opportunity to examine our current understanding of atmospheric CH3Br and its budget, response to the phaseout, and response to interannual variability in biomass burning and global OH. In this study, simulations obtained from a time-dependent global model of atmospheric CH3Br emissions and uptake are compared to observations from the NOAA flask network. The model includes a detailed gridded ocean model coupled to a time-dependant atmospheric 2-box model. The phaseout of CH3Br production for agricultural uses began in 1998, concurrent with the pulse in biomass burning associated with the 1998 El Niño. The combined effects of three factors (biomass burning, global OH, and anthropogenic phaseout) appear to explain most of the observed atmospheric methyl bromide variability over the 1997–2008 period. The global budget remains imbalanced, with a large missing source indicated. The missing source does not exhibit a systematic decline during the phaseout period, and therefore, is not the result of significantly underestimating non-QPS agricultural CH3Br emissions. The model results suggest that the oceans should be less undersaturated than before the phaseout began.

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