Fumigant under scrutiny for greenhouse gas emissions

A common fumigant used primarily to control termites in residential buildings is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, environmental groups claim in a legal petition to California air regulators. The groups are urging the California Air Resources Board to phase out fumigants that contain sulfuryl fluoride because of the chemical’s strong ability to trap heat in the atmosphere. Sulfuryl fluoride is 4,800 times as potent as carbon dioxide in terms of its greenhouse gas potential, the groups say. “Phasing out sulfuryl fluoride would provide the same climate benefits as taking 1 million cars off our roads every year,” Jonathan Evans, environmental health legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, says in a statement. “California’s air regulators have a legal and moral obligation to reduce greenhouse gases that are helping to drive catastrophic global warming,” he says. The center, along with Californians for Pesticide Reform, filed the petition Oct. 27. California is the world’s biggest emitter of sulfuryl fluoride, the groups say. The petitioners highlight several alternatives to sulfuryl fluoride fumigants that they say are cost effective for controlling termites and other pests.