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Product: Alfa-Tox
Published in Charles R. Foden, Jack L. Weddell, First Responder’s Guide to Agricultural Chemical Accidents, 2018
Charles R. Foden, Jack L. Weddell
HEALTH HAZARD INFORMATION Methyl bromide is a poisonous liquid, liquefied gas or solid, class “B”. Methyl bromide may cause headache, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, blurred vision, slurred speech, and convulsions. High concentrations may cause lung irritation resulting in congestion with coughing, chest pain, and shortness of breath, unconsciousness and death. Lung effects may be delayed in onset. Exposure may also result in kidney damage. The liquid splashed on the clothing, gloves, or shoes may be held in close contact with the skin and result in skin burns. Blisters commonly appear after several hours. If the exposure is less severe, an itching skin rash may appear after several days. Contact with the liquid methyl bromide may cause serious injury to the eyes. Prolonged or repeated exposure to methyl bromide may cause a variety of symptoms and signs mostly due to injury of the central nervous system. These include visual disturbances, slurred speech, numbness of the arms and legs, confusion, shaking, and unconsciousness. The symptoms may stop within a few days after termination of exposure or may last for several months. Usually recovery is complete.A physician should be contacted if anyone develops any signs or symptoms and suspects that they are caused by exposure to methyl bromide.
Toxic Responses of the Nervous System
Published in Stephen K. Hall, Joana Chakraborty, Randall J. Ruch, Chemical Exposure and Toxic Responses, 2020
Fumigants are gases used to kill insects, insect eggs, and microorganisms. One of the most widely used fumigants in the U.S. is methyl bromide, a colorless gas with a faint, somewhat agreeable odor. This pesticide has caused severe neurotoxic effects and death in fumigators, applicators, and pest control workers. Acute exposure can result in visual and speech disturbances, delirium, and convulsions. Both acute and chronic poisoning may be followed by prolonged, sometimes permanent, brain damage which may manifest as marked personality changes and perceptual difficulties. In some cases, chronic exposure may result in progressive peripheral neuropathy, with loss of motor control, numbness, and weakness.
The Grading and Quality of Dried Cocoa Beans
Published in Hii Ching Lik, Borém Flávio Meira, Drying and Roasting of Cocoa and Coffee, 2019
Various alternatives to methyl bromide (such as phosphine) and non-chemical fumigation alternatives are now being considered to remove or reduce chemical risks from fumigation. Non-chemical fumigation alternatives include the removal of oxygen (fumigation with carbon dioxide) in order to asphyxiate the pests, to ozone fumigation, heat treatment or putting the cocoa beans in refrigerated containers and reducing the temperature to well below freezing point to kill the pests. Other attempts include storing the beans in temperature-controlled warehouses to keep the pest activity to a minimum but without eradicating the infestation (CAOBISCO/ECA/FCC, 2015).
Optimization of Process Parameters for Ozone Disinfestation of C. Maculatus: Effects on Germination, in Vitro Protein Digestibility, Nutritional, Thermal and Pasting Properties of Mung Bean Grains
Published in Ozone: Science & Engineering, 2023
Kulwinder Kaur, Satish Kumar, Preetinder Kaur, Manpreet Kaur Saini, Arashdeep Singh, Manju Bala, Dhanwinder Singh
The grain supply chain has become increasingly concerned about postharvest losses. Insects are suspected to be responsible for up to a third of grain losses during storage every year (Mesterházy, Judit and József 2020). A weevil known as C. maculatus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) attacks legumes (such as mung beans) both in the field and while stored (Srivastava and Subramanian 2016). It is due to the larval stage of the insect colonizing the inner part of the grain that damages the grain, resulting in a loss of weight, a decrease in commercial value, a decrease in nutritional value, and sanitary risks (Akami et al. 2017). As a result of the damage to the grains, fungi, and other secondary pests are more likely to emerge, lowering the quality and quantity of stored grains. The most cost-effective and practical method of preserving grains is fumigation, including the elimination of grain storage insects/pests (Zhang et al. 2021). Nevertheless, most gases have been eliminated because of their undesirable properties, primarily their chemical instability and damaging effects on commodities. For instance, methyl bromide contributes to the destruction of the ozone layer, thus it has been removed from the registration of fumigants. Phosphine is a commonly used insecticide to control C. maculatus because it is inexpensive, it diffuses quickly in the air, and it leaves no detectable traces on the products it is applied to. However, there is already evidence of some pest species developing resistance to the gas.
Agricultural production: assessment of the potential use of Cas9-mediated gene drive systems for agricultural pest control
Published in Journal of Responsible Innovation, 2018
Maxwell J. Scott, Fred Gould, Marcé Lorenzen, Nathaniel Grubbs, Owain Edwards, David O’Brochta
T. castaneum and other stored grain pests have traditionally been controlled via methyl bromide fumigation of grain elevators, granaries, and flour mills. However, use of methyl bromide has been banned due to its impact on atmospheric ozone (Gareau 2010). Despite having a worldwide ban on methyl bromide, exemptions still exist for the use of methyl bromide as a fumigant, since alternatives are more expensive, labor intensive, and/or simply not viable for particular applications (Fields and White 2002). Since T. castaneum is a greater problem in poorer countries, less expensive alternatives are needed. Is traditional SIT a viable option for T. castaneum population control? If we consider the key factors that Knipling lists for determining the suitability of a species for SIT-based control (Knipling 1955), T. castaneum does fairly well. These beetles (1) are easily reared, (2) have a relatively short generation time, (3) have good dispersal, (4) readily mate, and (5) can have low initial population sizes.
Effect of ozone fumigation on controlling common storage pest Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) in proso millet during storage
Published in Ozone: Science & Engineering, 2023
Kirankumar Muniswamy, Anandakumar Sugumar, Srinivas Yarrakula, Loganathan Manickam, Chidanand D V
Phosphine fumigation is commonly employed to control these insects, but its widespread and indiscriminate application has resulted in increased resistance in populations (Xinyi, Subramanyam, Beibei 2017). Other fumigants utilized to control insects are more expensive and have fewer applications than phosphine (G. Singh and Sharma 2015). The use of methyl bromide as a fumigant has been outlawed by Montreal Protocol, an international treaty created in 1987, because it depletes the ozone layer in the atmosphere (EPA 2006). Even though some plant compounds like essential plant oils are toxic to insects, their usage is limited to large-scale applications due to their high molecular weight, high boiling point, and low vapor pressure (Rajendran and Sriranjini 2008).