OSHA recently issued a hazard bulletin warning the grain handling industry of potential health hazards arising from the use of fumigants. The bulletin, which OSHA says does not create new legal obligations, updates a similar 1984 document. OSHA notes that fumigants commonly used for insect control on stored grain include methyl bromide, phosphine and mixtures of carbon tetrachloride and carbon disulfide. "None of these has adequate warning properties, yet their toxic effects can include permanent central nervous system damage, heart and vascular disease and lung edema as well as cancer."
