How Bad Is Methyl Bromide?
While the lowered ODP rate may seem encouraging, methyl bromide does more damage in the ozone layer than most other ODP substances, partly because of the high mixing rate in the atmosphere. It also escapes easily into the atmosphere where it contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer. Bill Thomas, of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, states, “While methyl bromide’s ODP has fallen, it is unlikely it will fall below the 0.2 threshold. But if it did, it would be reclassified as a Class II substance, only altering the phaseout time line not eliminating it.” The present best guess is that emissions of methyl bromide from agricultural uses account for 20 to 30 percent of global methyl bromide sources and are thought to be responsible for 3 to 10 percent of the stratospheric ozone depletion, according to NOAA researchers.
