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Methyl bromide (MB)

Methyl bromide, coded MB, is a fumigant approved under ISPM 15 for wood packaging. It must be applied to debarked wood for at least 24 hours at a set concentration-time product. ISPM 15 encourages alternatives because it depletes the ozone layer, and EPAL prohibits it on EPAL pallets.

Document
GLS-023
Sheet
Glossary
Last reviewed
Sources
3 cited

The requirement

ISPM 15 Annex 1 sets minimum concentration-time products for MB over 24 hours, depending on the wood temperature, with the wood at no less than 10 °C. Bark must be removed before treatment, and the treatment does not apply to wood with a smallest cross-section over 20 cm.

The environmental note

ISPM 15 reminds countries of their duties under the Montreal Protocol on ozone-depleting substances and asks national authorities to promote alternatives.

On EPAL pallets

EPAL says methyl bromide treatment is prohibited for EPAL pallets. An EPAL-branded pallet with an MB mark is not a normal EPAL pallet. Our stamp decoder flags the combination.

In North America

Both 7 CFR 319.40-3 and CFIA D-98-08 name methyl bromide among accepted treatments, so an MB mark is not on its own a reason for refusal at the border.

Sources

Last reviewed . Figures come from these publications; follow the links for the current versions.

  1. ISPM 15, Regulation of wood packaging material in international trade (adopted 2018, published 2019), IPPC Secretariat / FAO
  2. EPAL Euro pallet (EPAL 1), load-carrier page, European Pallet Association e.V.
  3. ISPM 15: protection of international ecosystems, European Pallet Association e.V.

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