INTRESO Highlights Sustainable Alternatives as EU Considers a Ban on Sulfuryl Fluoride
June 20 2024 - 2:00AM
Business Wire
International Treatment Solutions (INTRESO) Group has written to
the EU Commission’s Standing Committee on Biocidal Products to
highlight the availability of safe, effective and environmentally
sustainable alternatives to sulfuryl fluoride, ahead of a 21 June
meeting which will consider a ban of the chemical for the
preservation treatment of wood [PT8], and as an insecticide and
acaricide for the control of insects and arachnids [PT18].
On 21 June, representatives from EU Member States will vote on a
proposal to ban the use of sulfuryl fluoride, an extremely harmful
synthetic greenhouse gas with a global warming potential more than
4500 times that of carbon dioxide, for these fumigation purposes.
In what amounts to an effective ban, the EU is considering
withdrawing approvals for the continued biocidal use of sulfuryl
fluoride, due to a lack of data on the potential risks to human
health posed by the chemical.
INTRESO Group produces BLUEFUME™, a highly effective and
environmentally sustainable drop-in replacement for sulfuryl
fluoride. BLUEFUME™ is the latest iteration of a tried and tested
chemical, HCN, successfully used around the world for decades.
INTRESO Group’s product is fully approved in numerous markets
including in the EU, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Morocco
and South Africa. Most recently, it has been put through rigorous
testing and approval processes in Australia in 2023, with
subsequent regulatory approval demonstrating impressive results
against the latest standards.
Effective and economical, BLUEFUME™ breaks down into naturally
occurring substances, meaning it also has a far lower environmental
footprint than sulfuryl fluoride.
Besides being a Biocidal Product, sulfuryl fluoride is also a
Plant Protection Product for the treatment of tree logs exported
from the EU. In which case, additionally, INTRESO Group’s
proprietary product, Ethanedinitrile (EDN™), is a highly effective
and environmentally sustainable drop-in replacement for sulfuryl
fluoride and has already been approved for the fumigation of timber
and wood products in countries including Australia, New Zealand,
South Korea, Malaysia, Uruguay, South Africa and Turkey. EDN was
also successfully used over successive years in the Czech Republic
under emergency use authorization during their recent bark beetle
outbreak. This demonstrates that other major agricultural exporters
have moved faster than the EU in approving alternative chemicals
which adhere to stringent modern safety and environmental
standards.
Commenting on the potential new restrictions on the use of
sulfuryl fluoride in the EU, Kade McConville, Executive Director of
INTRESO Group said:
“The claims that there is no available and highly effective
alternative to sulfuryl fluoride for biocidal and plant protection
use are simply not true. Our products, including EDN™ and BLUEFUME,
are drop-in replacements that have been shown to be efficient under
a wider set of climatic conditions than sulfuryl fluoride.
With increasing evidence as to the harms to human health and the
planet resulting from sulfuryl fluoride, it is vitally important
that EU decision-makers consider and understand the fact that
alternative solutions are readily available for use in European
fumigation, and that whilst sulfuryl fluoride is a tool, it is not
the only tool in the toolbox.
Ahead of this pivotal vote, I have written to the Commission to
make clear that our innovative, environmentally sustainable
solutions already provide an effective alternative to sulfuryl
fluoride in forward-thinking countries with some of the strictest
biosecurity standards, including Australia and New Zealand.”
Background
- Fumigation is essential to protect against risks of invasive
pests from international trade in raw commodities, with Europe
facing unprecedented levels of bark beetle breakouts in conifer
forests1.
- Sulfuryl fluoride, the most widely used fumigant in the EU, has
a Global Warming Potential (GWP) more than 4500 times that of
carbon dioxide.
- Use of sulfuryl fluoride is increasingly globally.
- Negotiations on the EU’s F-Gas Regulation, adopted in March
2024, resulted in new monitoring and recapture requirements and
considered a total ban.
- EDNTM has a GWP over 4400x lower than sulfuryl fluoride.
- For more information on INTRESO: www.intreso.com
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1
https://foresteurope.org/bark-beetle-outbreaks-in-forests-a-pan-european-view/
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Kade McConville, kade.mcconville@draslovka.com