Health risks and prevention practices during handling of fumigated containers

Introduction

Transport of goods by freight containers is used all over the world. More than 600 million container units are filled, shipped and stripped annually. The freight containers are frequently treated with chemicals that kill pests before shipping. Pest control is implemented to protect the cargo from being damaged by pests during the rather long transport time, and thereby to prevent the spread of unwanted organisms. The chemicals used are toxic not only to pests, but also to humans. The fumigants are usually applied in a gas form to the containers, a process termed fumigation. The major fumigants used today are methyl bromide (MeBr) and phosphine (PH3). When…