The methyl bromide inventory held by U.S. companies at the end of 2006 continues to shrink, according to data released by EPA today. The data show a steady decline in the inventory since 2003, when the Agency began collecting such information.

Methyl bromide is an ozone-depleting chemical that has been used as a general pesticide across a wide range of agricultural sectors for many years. Under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and the Clean Air Act, the United States phased out new production and import of methyl bromide, except for allowable exemptions for users who have no technically and economically feasible alternatives.

The data that EPA is releasing includes, in aggregate form, the inventory held by approximately 35 companies in the United States at the end of 2006. The methyl bromide inventory data, displayed graphically below, shows a steady decline – approximately 16,422 metric tons in 2003, 12,994 metric tons in 2004, 9,974 metric tons in 2005, and 7,671 metric tons in 2006 – and demonstrates that the United States continues to manage its domestic inventory appropriately.

The phaseout of new production and import, and the orderly reduction in the existing inventory, are facilitating a transition to alternatives in a manner consistent with previous successful phaseouts of ozone-depleting substances, such as chloroflourocarbons (CFCs) and halons. The United States continues to protect the ozone layer and meet its obligations under the Montreal Protocol while meeting the needs of American farmers.

For more information on the phaseout of methyl bromide, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/ozone/mbr.

(Por John Millett, EPA, 4/05/2007)