Re: Poisoned by Methyl Bromide

More | Report Post

> U.S. EPA News Brief (May 15, 2007) -- Methyl Bromide
> Inventory Continues Downward Trend

Sorry.

U.S. EPA News Brief
May 15, 2007

Contact: John Millett, (202) 564-4355

----------------------------------------------------------------
----------------

Methyl Bromide Inventory Continues Downward Trend

The methyl bromide inventory held by U.S. companies at the end
of 2006 continues to shrink, according to data released by EPA
today. The data show a steady decline in the inventory since
2003, when the Agency began collecting such information.

Methyl bromide is an ozone-depleting chemical that has been
used as a general pesticide across a wide range of agricultural
sectors for many years. Under the Montreal Protocol on
Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and the Clean Air Act,
the United States phased out new production and import of
methyl bromide, except for allowable exemptions for users who
have no technically and economically feasible alternatives.

The data that EPA is releasing includes, in aggregate form, the
inventory held by approximately 35 companies in the United
States at the end of 2006. The methyl bromide inventory data,
displayed graphically below, shows a steady decline –
approximately 16,422 metric tons in 2003, 12,994 metric tons in
2004, 9,974 metric tons in 2005, and 7,671 metric tons in 2006 –
and demonstrates that the United States continues to manage
its domestic inventory appropriately.

The phaseout of new production and import, and the orderly
reduction in the existing inventory, are facilitating a
transition to alternatives in a manner consistent with previous
successful phaseouts of ozone-depleting substances, such as
chloroflourocarbons (CFCs) and halons. The United States
continues to protect the ozone layer and meet its obligations
under the Montreal Protocol while meeting the needs of American
farmers.

For more information on the phaseout of methyl bromide, please
visit: http://www.epa.gov/ozone/mbr