Residues of methyl bromide and sulfuryl fluoride in manufacturer-packaged household foods following fumigation

Nylon film enclosures for protection of foods from exposure to sulfuryl fluoride and methyl bromide during structural fumigation

“…As reported previously (Osbrink et al, 1988), percent recovery of SF is generally high, even at parts per billion level fortifications. MB recoveries in this study were found to be considerably lower with many commodities, especially fatty ones, as has been previously noted (Daft, 1988(Daft, , 1989; Scheffrahn et al, 1992b). Poor recoveries may be due to MB dealkylation in commodities (Meikle and Stewart, 1962), nonoptimum equilibration time (DeVries et al, 1985), and high fat affinity (Daft, 1988(Daft, , 1989.…”

“…Label directions for SF (DowElanco, 1993) and MB (Great Lakes Chemical Corp, 1992) dictate that foods, feed, and medicines must either be properly protected from fumigant exposure (e.g., sealed metal or glass containers or, on older SF labels, polyethylene bags) or be removed from the structure because unprotected commodities are likely to harbor transient or permanent residues of either SF (Meikle and Stewart, 1962;Osbrink et al, 1988;Scheffrahn et al, 1989a,b) or MB (Daft, 1988(Daft, , 1989; DeVries et al, 1985; Meikle and Stewart, 1962) after fumigation. Many consumer foods packaged in manufacturer-sealed containers of various materials and closure types are also susceptible to fumigant exposure and residue formation (Scheffrahn et al, 1992b), and often the packaging does not constitute adequate protection.…”