Comparing Apples to Apples
(How much does your fumigation really cost?)

 A lot has been said and written lately about how much more economical some phosphine products are than others. Before you can properly evaluate the relative costs of any products, you must first make sure you are comparing equal data.  Lets look at two hypothetical situations.  Both involve fumigation of a 100,000 Ft3 bin of stored grain.

Fumigation #1

The fumigator drives up to the bin, seals the obvious openings, applies the fumigant, posts warning placards and leaves.  They come back 10 days later, remove the seals, aerate the bin, remove the placards and declare the fumigation a success

Fumigation # 2

The fumigator plans ahead.  When they arrive at the bin, a written Fumigation Management Plan (FMP)  has already been prepared.  The FMP incorporates confined space entry permits and appropriate fall protection equipment . In order to insure a successful fumigation,  a recirculation system will be used.   The tubing and fans are installed and all openings are sealed.  Gas monitoring lines are installed. After all notifications have been made, the fumigant is applied, warning placards are posted and they also leave.  The difference is, they will  make sure that gas concentration readings are taken at least daily to insure that lethal concentrations are maintained.  Should concentrations fall below this level, additional fumigant will be added. Once they are assured that all insects are dead, the bin is aerated in a manner designed to keep outside concentrations below the TLV of 0.3ppm. Once concentrations in the commodity are below 0.3ppm, the warning placards are removed, notice is given to all concerned parties and a "Gasfree Certificate" is issued.

The fumigant used in these examples is unimportant. The steps remain the same whether you are using Aluminum Phosphide, Magnesium Phosphide or Bottled Phosphine.  All costs associated with each fumigation are the same, no matter which product you use.

The choice of fumigant; Aluminum Phosphide, Magnesium Phosphide or Bottled Phosphine is the only variable in the equation.  If the same dosage rate is used for each product, you will be in fact comparing "apples to apples".  This chart shows the comparative costs of one gram of Phostoxin®, FumiStrip® and Eco2Fume®.  Keep in mind that one gram of any phosphine product produces approximately 25ppm.

Conclusion:

Fumigation # 1 has a relatively low cost, but does not do a very good job of insuring that the primary purpose, killing the insects, has been accomplished.  They have no data to tell them how long, if at all, the insects were exposed to lethal concentrations. By contrast, Fumigation # 2 , while undoubtedly more safe, expensive and time consuming, can be called a success because gas concentration readings indicate that insect mortality was achieved.

EPA Round-up

Monitoring Studies    

The  Aluminum/Magnesium Phosphide Coalition is in the process of preparing the final report on the monitoring studies done in 2001.  This report, a compilation of more than 30 individual studies conducted during actual fumigations, is being prepared by Dr. Joel Seckar.  Upon completion, the report will be submitted to EPA in what is hoped will be the Registrants last step prior to gaining approval for a new label.  The data gathered appears to reinforce what we have believed from the beginning, fumigation when carried out according to label directions does not pose any adverse consequences for bystanders or applicators.  We would like to thank all persons involved in the collection of this data for their efforts.  Thanks to your cooperation, we were able to supply information gathered from all parts of the country that represented many types of fumigation and a wide variety of commodities treated.

Draft Label

There have been no changes to the draft label we submitted in January 2002.  This draft label does not have final approval so minor changes could appear.  The best estimate for Phostoxin^® with the new label appearing in the marketplace is late 2002.  There will be no product recall, so any  Phostoxin^® you have on hand can still be used legally in accordance with the label that came with it.

To view the Draft Phostoxin^® Label, click here Phostoxin^® Label

To view this file you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed.  If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download it here

Degesch Catalytic Adsorption Unit (CAU)

            Are phosphine emissions regulated in your State?

 Is your warehouse or storage located in an area requiring emissions to be carefully controlled?

 DEGESCH America, Inc. has developed a portable catalytic adsorption unit (CAU) to remove hydrogen phosphide (phosphine) from air streams, which may solve your emission problems.

How does this Catalytic Adsorption Unit (CAU) work?

             The CAU catalytically oxidizes phosphine, at low temperatures, to produce water and nonvolatile phosphates.  The CAU operates by continually recycling air from within the fumigated structure through the adsorbent and back into the structure until the phosphine concentrations have been reduced to a satisfactory level.          

            The CAU may also be used in conjunction with the J-System® low airflow recirculation method on grain storages.  At the end of the fumigation period, a valve is thrown on the gas distribution piping to reroute the air stream through the CAU column.  Scrubbing is terminated when the phosphine concentrations within the storage have been sufficiently reduced. 

The CAU is currently available from Degesch America, Inc. for sale, lease or rent.

For more information on the CAU, click here.

Conventions & Conferences

AOM

The Association of Operative Millers held their  annual  Convention and Trade Show in St. Paul, MN, May 5-7, 2002.  Degesch America, Inc. was proud to be one of the exhibitors, showing our wide array of fumigants, insecticides and  safety equipment.  This year we introduced the Soda Blaster (see Winter 2002 Newsletter) to the Milling and Baking industry.  This unique piece of cleaning equipment uses compressed air and baking soda to remove accumulated build-up from virtually any area, without harming the surface.  Quite a bit of interest was shown in this new product.  Spot fumigation and safety equipment were the two other areas in which attendees had the most interest.  Spot fumigation using Degesch Magtoxin® seems to be more in demand as companies increase their sanitation efforts and rely less and less on general space fumigation.  The need for documenting safe work environments and the introduction of several new digital monitors were the reasons given most often for interest in safety equipment.  A recognition by industry that the "status quo" will no longer be good enough when the new label is put into effect is prompting quite a few companies to prepare for life once the Fumigation Management Plan becomes the law of the land.

Representing Degesch America, Inc. at the AOM Convention were:

Jim Sharpe, Manager, Gulf Coast Operations
Jim Smiley, Manager, Information Services
Mark Mathews, Manager, Richmond, VA Office
Mike McLean, Manager, Portland, OR Office

IFT

The Institute of Food Technologists will hold their annual Convention and Trade Show June 16 - 19, 2002 in Anaheim, CA.  Degesch America, Inc will once again be exhibiting, so come visit us at Booth 2844.  Our Booth at this show will feature the Soda Blaster and Insect Light Traps.  

Representing Degesch America, Inc. at the IFT Convention will be:

Herb Yeaman, Director, Division Operations
Jim Smiley, Manager, Information Services
Mike McLean, Manager, Portland, OR Office

8th International Working Conference on Stored Product Protection

Technology into Action

The 8th International Working Conference on Stored Product Protection, will be held at the University of York, York UK from 22 - 26 July 2002.

"The Conference brings together research scientists, consultants, extension workers and industrialists, involved in the safe storage of the world's durable food commodities such as grains, legumes, pulses, nuts, beverage crops and animal feedstuffs. The meeting will showcase work on the pests and diseases which may cause spoilage, adverse health effects and loss of the crop, and discuss new techniques aimed at safe, effective and environmentally friendly management of stored commodities. The objectives are to exchange information from widely differing agricultural and economic scenarios, ranging from farmer scale in the tropics to bulk scale in Australia, North America and Europe, and to devise solutions to storage problems that are most appropriate and cost effective."

For more information please click here.

Representing Degesch America, Inc. at the Conference will be:

George Luzaich, VP, Sales & Marketing
Herb Yeaman, Director, Division Operations

Stored Product IPM Training Conference

Kansas State University will be holding the 6th Annual Stored Product IPM Training Conference on August 19-21, 2002 in Manhattan, KS. 

For more information please click here.

Representing Degesch America, Inc. at the Conference will be:

George Luzaich, VP, Sales & Marketing
Herb Yeaman, Director, Division Operations
Jim Sharpe, Manager, Gulf Coast Operations
Jim Smiley, Manager, Information Services

DAI Recertification School

            April 25, 2002 saw a crowd of approximately 100 people gather at the Omni Hotel in Charlottesville, VA for the latest edition of our recertification training.  This yearly meeting attracts a panel of experienced applicators, regulators and scientist covering a wide variety of subject matter.  Some of the topics discussed included;

Integrated Pest Management presented by Dr. Daryl Faustini, Philip Morris USA
       A lighthearted look at insect control that focused on edible insects

Risk Mitigation Measures Update presented by Dr. Joel Seckar, R.J. Reynolds
      A look at EPA's original RMMs and how they will impact the new label

Gas Detection and Respiratory Protection presented by Robert Blachly, Industrial Fumigant Co.
       A review of the latest equipment available  for use by the industry

Structural Fumigation presented by Ed Hosoda, Cardinal Chemical Co.
       An overview of Vikane® and Methyl Bromide use

Methyl Bromide Stewardship Training presented by Dan Ayers, Great Lakes Chemical Co. 
       An update on the status of methyl bromide and the training necessary to purchase and use the product

Recertification Credit hours were available from a wide variety of states, including: AL, AR, CA, DC, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MI, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, VA, WA and WV.  If you would like to attend but do not see your state listed, contact us and we will inquire about credits from other states.

For more info on next years event, click here