The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has banned the use of Methyl Bromide as a fumigant for pest control in crops, describing it as a “dangerous cumulative poison”.
A statement by the Director-General of NAFDAC , Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said the fumigant was toxic and dangerous to human health, warning that importers of the product would be severely sanctioned in line with the extant laws.
Adeyeye disclosed that information available to the agency showed that some unscrupulous individuals have been illegally importing Methyl Bromide for use as pesticide in Nigeria, revealing that NAFDAC was currently carrying out surveillance to identify such illegal importers.
She explained, “NAFDAC wishes to draw the attention of the general public and in particular the agro dealers on the banned fumigant in pest control. Methyl Bromide is colourless, odourless, noncorrosive and non-flammable, highly toxic to a broad spectrum of insects from egg to the adult stage. It was primarily used as a fumigant in stored product pest management. Methyl bromide is a Class I Ozone Depleting Substance (ODS). It depletes the Ozone layer due to release of bromine atom upon the break down of the molecule.”
According to her, Methyl Bromide is a scheduled chemical under the Montreal Protocol for Substances that Depletes the Ozone Layer and was placed on a Phase out Procedure from 2001, stressing that Methyl Bromide is an extremely toxic vapour.
“In humans, Methyl Bromide is readily absorbed through the lungs. Most problems occur as a result of inhalation. Methyl Bromide is a dangerous cumulative poison. First symptoms often are due to damage to the nervous system, and may be delayed from 48 hours to as long as several months after exposure. This delay, combined with methyl bromide’s lack of odour, means that the victim may not realize that exposure is occurring until much time has passed,” she said.
Adeyeye noted that Nigeria effected the phase out of Methyl Bromide by January 2015 and since then, the product had not been permitted for importation into the country.
She advised farmers, exporters of agricultural produce and agro input dealers to desist from using Methyl Bromide as a pesticide, saying safer alternatives were available.
