In the late 1980s, during the Montreal Protocol that set rules for the chlorofluorocarbon emissions, methyl bromide was about to become a target, to reduce it for saving the ozone layer. So, from a poplar compound used in agriculture, it became an “outlaw”.
Instead of it, a new chemical was introduced: sulfuryl fluoride, to be the next generation in pest fumigation. EPA found the new chemical “safe” for the environment.
MIT researchers have proved recently that sulfuryl fluoride is a lot more dangerous for the environment, being 4800x stronger than CO2.
The only solution is stopping its use as soon as possible, before it’s too late. The good part of this story is that it was approved in 2002, not a very long time ago, so there are still low emissions of sulfuryl fluoride in the air.
The conclusion of this story is that we should check our chemicals and their environmental impact more often, to prevent having “harmless” substances around us, while they are very dangerous in reality.
