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You might be asking, why is this gas which is dangerous to the planet and society still being used? Shouldn’t it be banned? Well, it already was, more than 30 years ago!

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Montreal Protocol

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In 1987, the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was globally ratified to incrementally phase out the production and consumption of substances that contribute to the depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer. All 197 countries around the globe have ratified the Montreal Protocol, making it the first international environmental treaty to reach complete ratification. Methyl bromide was one of these dangerous substances. All countries are responsible for following guidelines regarding trade, annual reporting, and national licensing systems. Methyl Bromide should have been phased out by 2005 in developed countries and by 2015 in developing countries. Only critical use exemptions and use for quarantine and pre-shipment purposes mandate the use of Methyl Bromide until an alternative solution is found. Over the past decade, consumption of Methyl Bromide for QPS has increased as this use allows for an uninterrupted and unrestricted source of Methyl Bromide. Currently, reporting consumption of Methyl Bromide only requires countries to report the total amount of Methyl Bromide used (import plus production minus export), not the actual use category. Furthermore, many countries have licensing systems in place to track ozone-depleting substances, however, reporting Methyl Bromide and its uses are not specifically required.


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Montreal protocol logo UN

Timeline of Methyl Bromide phase out (1987)

Marked in red is the timeline set by the Montreal Protocol that applies to bulk consumption of ozone-depleting substances. Consumption is defined as the quantities manufactured plus imported, less those quantities exported in any given year. Percentage reductions relate to the designated 'base year' for the substance. 
 

1999

25% reduction

2003

70% reduction

2005

The use and sale as a pesticide/fumigant in the European Union only

2010

Banned completely in European Union

2015

Scheduled to be completely phased out by the end of the year in Developing countries

1995

Freeze in 1995 at 1991 base level

2001

50% reduction

2005

Scheduled to be completely phased out by the end of the year

2006

20% reduction in Developing countries

2011

MB usage started increasing again for "critical use"

2021

Methyl Bromide still in use, in some countries reporting the use of the fumigant is still “not required”

Did any MB alternative emerge in the past 30 years?

The Methyl Bromide Technical Options Committee estimated in 1987 that up to 42% of Methyl Bromide used for QPS could be replaced immediately with an alternative. In November 2012 another treaty, to further pursue alternative technologies was signed.

  1. Nonchemical alternatives to fumigation with Methyl Bromide include heat, cold, and irradiation treatment. Currently, nonchemical treatment is often uneconomic to build, maintain, and operate for some commodities. Additionally, these treatments may not be as efficacious or permitted by some countries and their effects on some insects are non-consistent.

  2. To reduce the release into the atmosphere, recapturing Methyl Bromide and filtering the air through activated carbon has proven effective, however, large-scale recapturing is not economically feasible due to a large amount of carbon needed and decomposition requirements.

  3. For fumigation, sulfuryl fluoride (SF) and phosphine (PH3) are currently available for certain commodities. Primarily used on wood-based products, SF is a compressed-gas fumigant with reduced efficacy against the egg and adult stage of many key pests. SF is considered a greenhouse gas with an estimated lifetime of up to 36 years. Another alarming fact is that SF is at least 4,700 times worse as a heat trap, gram for gram, than CO2.  In regard to human health, PH3 has been linked to many cases of illness and even death.

  4. When the EPA formulated the controls included in the 2010 Reassessment, the expectation was that several alternative sustainable fumigants would be available by 2020. Only one substance has emerged as an environmentally sustainable alternative to Methyl bromide - which is known as Ethanedinitrile (Tradename: EDN).  The Stakeholders in Methyl Bromide Reduction (STIMBR) based in New Zealand states that EDN is efficacious against forest insects, is cost-effective, does not harm the atmosphere as methyl bromide and sulfuryl fluoride do, it breaks down quickly, and does not accumulate in the environment or human body.