“One out of five freight containers arriving in European ports [from Asia] has been fumigated with extremely dangerous, carcinogenic or neurotoxic gases.”
“These toxic gases are left over from the fumigation process, a necessary – sometimes mandatory – operation to kill micro-organisms and pests before transport, in order to prevent the introduction of parasites, bacteria and diseases into the importing country.
“In March 2010, the EU banned the use of methyl bromide, a dangerous pesticide — but many countries, including the U.S., still use it. What’s worse, very few countries actually indicate the presence of toxic gas on their containers, to avoid having to de-gas them.”
“Another more insidious source of toxicity, which puts port workers and consumers at risk, is the vapors emanating from the merchandise itself during transport. Furniture, shoes, clothes made in Asia – mostly Vietnam and China — frequently contain toluene and benzene solvents, which are carcinogen. When this is the case, there are no labels on the shipping container warning port workers to equip themselves against toxic fumes.
“97% of freight containers contained residues of pesticide fumigants and toxic industrial chemicals, mostly 1.2-dichloroethane and methyl bromide, as well as benzene and toluene. About 19% of them had levels exceeding the permitted exposure level. The German researchers told the congress that the fumigants and toxic products “contaminated the transported goods, penetrating into them and settling there.”
These are only a few of the facts reported in the article below. So now we know what some of the chemicals are on imported products and how toxic they are.
WORLDCRUNCH: Toxic Shipping Containers May Be Contaminating Your Food And Clothes
