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Fumigation Emissions Controls
Quarantine and Pre-shipment (Q/PS)
Large Systems for Imports and Exports

Quarantine and Pre-shipment (Q/PS) means goods entering and exiting a country under strict international guidelines. 

 

In the US, these are the phytosanitary regulations of the USDA.  Pre-shipment is the term used to describe goods that are held for a maximum of 21 days after fumigation before export.

The USDA has a very specific treatment schedule for methyl bromide for each of the goods that may enter or exit US ports.  Some of the goods fumigated with methyl bromide that enter and exit US ports are:

Artichokes, asparagus, bags, bananas, basil, beans, blackberries, blueberries, brassware, broccoli, burlap, cabbage, cantaloupe, celery, ceramic, cherries, chestnuts, chicory, citron, coconut, containers, coriander, cotton, endive, equipment, fava beans, flowers, garlic, ginger root and spice, grapefruits, grapes, handicrafts, herbs, honeydew, household goods, iron, jute, kiwi, lemons, lentils, lettuce, limes, logs, machinery, melons, oak logs, okra, onions, oranges, palm trees, peas, peaches, pears, peppers, pineapples, plantains, plants, pumpkins, radicchio, radishes, raspberries, rice, seeds, shallots, snails, snow sundry items, peas, squashes, steel, stones, strawberries, thyme, tobacco, tomatoes, watermelon, wood and yams.

Not all of the above goods are fumigated every time they enter or leave the US.  The fumigation schedule is dependent upon the originating country and the target pest (invasive species).  In addition, methyl bromide is also used to fumigate goods on an "emergency" basis and this use is allowed for by the Montreal Protocol.  For example, emergency use of methyl bromide can be applied to cocoa beans, coffee and returning military hardware.  Unfortunately data is not publicly available for the emergency use of methyl bromide. 

Below is data taken from the United Nations website on ozone depleting substances for methyl bromide.  The data was converted from metric tons to pounds ( x 2,205)

 

 

 

 

 

Source for both charts:  United Nations Ozone Secretariat Data Access Center

 

 

Small Chamber Fumigation

Portable Scrubber System

Soil Emissions

Anthrax Fumigation

Reactive Separations