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Methyl Bromide
Methyl bromide is a broad-spectrum fumigant that has been used around the world since the 1930s as a pre-plant soil fumigant to control insects, pathogens, and weeds, and to control insects in buildings and in commodities. It is also used for quarantine and pre-shipment applications. It is not manufactured in Canada, but is imported mostly from the U.S.A.
Methyl bromide is one of the very few chemicals that were approved for broad-spectrum use in agriculture and pest control. The dominant use of methyl bromide worldwide is for pre-planting soil fumigation. In Canada, methyl bromide is registered under the Pest Control Products Act for soil, space and commodity fumigation, however the use and import of methyl bromide are controlled under the Ozone Depleting Substances Regulations, 1998.
Canada is a Party to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which requires Parties to gradually phase-out production and consumption of ODS, as well as reduce and eliminate trade in these substances. In 1992, Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer recognized that methyl bromide has an ozone-depleting potential (ODP); thus it is identified as an ozone-depleting substance. Since January 1st, 2005, the manufacture, import and export of methyl bromide has been prohibited in Canada, except for use in quarantine and pre-shipment applications, as feedstock, as analytical standards, or for critical or emergency use.
Protocol to the Vienna Convention on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Montreal Protocol)
CAS (Chemical Abstract Service) registry number: 74-83-9
Risk Assessment
- CEPA 1999 Schedule 1 - List of Toxic Substances - This substance has been added to the List of Toxic Substances.
- Full life cycle management of the substance (Track 2) under the Toxic Substances Management Policy
Source(s)
This substance is entering the environment from the following source(s):
Risk Management Tool(s)
Tool(s) developed to manage risks associated with the substance:
Other Information
- Stratospheric Ozone - Information Centre
- Notice to anyone engaged in the use of methyl bromide
- Pest Control Products Act, 2002
Contact
Substances Management Information Line
Chemicals Management Plan
Gatineau, QC K1A 0H3
Telephone: 1-800-567-1999 (in Canada) or 819-938-3232
Fax: 819-938-3231
E-mail: substances@ec.gc.ca
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