Other Fumigants

Flessel P, Goldsmith JR, Kahn E, et at Acute and possibte long-term effects of 1,3-dichloropropene-Califomia. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 27 50-55,1978 Tyas SL, Manfreda J, Strain LA, et al Risk factors for Alzheimer s disease a population-based, longitudinal study in Manitoba, Canada. Int J Epidemiol 30 590-597, 2001 

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Comparatively little information is available in the literature on the determination of acrylonitrile in biological materials. Methods have been published for the determination of acrylonitrile in blood (Anderson and Harland 1980 Freshour and Melcher 1983) and urine (Houthuijs et al. 1982 Sakurai et al. 1978). Acrylonitrile was widely used in the past as a fumigant, and it is possible that methods used for the determination of other fumigants in biological materials (Walters 1986) could be adapted to the determination of acrylonitrile in such samples. 

Use of aluminum phosphide is more recent in India as compared with other fumigants like methyl bromide (MB), EDB, and ethylene dibromide carbon tetrachloride mixture (EDCT). It is now being used on a large scale by the Food Corporation of India, the Central Warehousing Corporation, and State Warehousing Corporation for food grain fumigation stationed in different parts of India. 

Torkelson TR, Hoyle HR, Rowe VK. 1966. Toxicological hazards and properties of commonly used space, structural and certain other fumigants. Pest Control 34 13-18, 42-50. 

Most of the trichloroethylene produced is used for metal degreasing. Other important uses are in the scouring of wool and as an extractive solvent, e.g. for olive and soya bean oils. Minor uses are as a heat transfer medium, anaesthetic, insecticide and fumigant, paint remover and fire extinguisher. 

It is used to make sulfite paper and other papers, to fumigate fumigant, and to bleach dried fruits. The element is a good insulator. 

About 10% is marketed ia elemental form. Eighteen percent is converted to ethylene dibromide [106-93 ] for use ia gasoline and 30% is used ia fire retardants. Fifteen percent is used as a soil fumigant methyl bromide [74-83-9]. Other commercial forms are alkaU metal bromides, ammonium bromide [12124-97-9] and hydrobromic acid [10035-10-6],... 

Injury to plants and vegetation is caused by a variety of factors, of which air pollution is only one. Drought, too much water, heat and cold, hail, insects, animals, disease, and poor soil conditions are some of the other causes of plant injury and possible plant damage (3). Estimates suggest that less than 5% of total crop losses are related to air pollution. Air pollution has a much greater impact on some geographic areas and crops than others. Crop failure can be caused by fumigation from a local air pollution source or by more widespread and more frequent exposure to adverse levels of pollution. 

Certain fruits, notably grapes and dates, may have some surface contamination or infestation when first picked, and they are fumigated with sulphur dioxide or some other gas. They must, of course, then be thoroughly ventilated before going into storage. 

P.M. Jeffers and N.L. Wolfe, Hydrolysis of methyl bromide, ethyl bromide, chloropicrin, 1,4-dichloro-2-butene, and other halogenated hydrocarbons, in Fumigants Environmental Fate, Exposure, and Analysis, ed. J.N. Seiber, J.A. Knuteson, J.E. Woodrow, N.L. Wolfe, M.V. Yates, and S.R. Yates, ACS Symposium Series No. 652, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, pp. 32-41 (1997). 

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