Residual free methyl bromide in fumigated commodities

The extent to which methyl bromide was retained by fumigated material after treatment was followed in laboratory studies on a range of commodities exposed to the vapour at atmospheric pressure. Amounts of methyl bromide, recovered by solvent extraction and determined using gas‐liquid chromatography, were related to the temperature, moisture content and manner of post‐treatment storage. Immediately after exposure, the initial amount of free methyl bromide present was more dependent on the gas concentration used than on the time of exposure. Under the experimental conditions of exposure, the residual free methyl bromide in all commodities fumigated at 25°, except cocoa beans and groundnuts, fell to below 1 ppm within a few days when they were held at that temperature, whether spread in thin layers on trays or kept sealed in glass bottles. At lower temperatures, the rate of loss was slower, small amounts of methyl bromide being extracted from several commodities one month after treatment. The disappearance of fumigant from wheat and sultanas was more rapid from samples with higher moisture contents. A mathematical treatment of the data is presented, to assist in prediction of the behaviour of residual fumigant under storage conditions before processing. It is concluded that the risk of ingestion of harmful quantities of free methyl bromide by the consumer is small and that the occasions when relatively high residues might occur can be predicted.