The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants to create a better system for
marking fumigating ocean containers from China and Hong Kong.
The concern for the agency is that anti-pest fumigants, such as methyl
bromide and phosphine, may not completely breakdown during transit. This posses a risk to
government inspectors and importers when the containers arrive in the U.S.
Safe levels for the fumigants should be 5 parts per million for methyl
bromide and 0.3 parts per million for phosphine. USDA recommends that containers should be
allowed to air out before they are entered.
USDA will send a delegation to China on Aug. 19 to talk with the Chinese
government about placarding containers with fumigants. The agency launched a campaign last
year to have all wood-packed goods from China fumigated against the Asian longhorned
beetle.
USDA DEALS WITH CHINESE CONTAINER FUMIGANTS
USDA DEALS WITH CHINESE CONTAINER FUMIGANTS
