Agriculture is a bug-filled industry that must put in work to remain clean. Soil fumigants are a major controversy in this regard. But, with outdoor cannabis cultivation license approvals now on the rise, Health Canada‘s Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) approved a fumigant for cannabis farms – chloropicrin (trichloronitromethane.)
Two fumigants are approved for Canada’s outdoor cannabis crops and are produced by Triest Ag Group Inc.
Chloropicrin 100 Liquid Soil Fumigant – 99% Chloropicrin
Pic Plus Fumigant – 85.1% Chloropicrin
Despite the PMRA’s recent approval of chloropicrin for cannabis farms, the fumigant is banned in other countries. The reason for its prohibited status in the EU, for example, is due to its risk for pulmonary injury alongside its environmental toxicity. (1) So, North America still appears to be opposing other countries that banned chloropicrin, which is in parallel with a study published in Biomed Central. (2) Therefore, certain American farmers avoid chloropicrin, sometimes preferring methyl bromide but that was phased out by the EPA. (3.)
Thankfully though, the two fumigants approved by Canada’s PMRA are injected into the soil strictly before any cannabis is planted on the farm. Chloropicrin can, however, still become trapped in the earth and can lead to respiratory damage. (4) This fumigant, specifically, caused over 1000 pesticide-related illnesses from 2000 to 2015 in California alone. (2)
Read more at cannabislifenetwork.com