CALIFORNIA LEADS U.S. EMISSIONS OF LITTLE-KNOWN GREENHOUSE GAS

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https://hub.jhu.edu/2024/04/03/california-leads-us-emissions-of-little-known-greenhouse-gas/

By Hannah Robbins, Johns Hopkins University. 

Excerpt: California, a state known for its aggressive greenhouse gas reduction policies, is ironically the nation's greatest emitter of one: sulfuryl fluoride. As much as 17% of global emissions of this gas, a common pesticide for treating termites and other wood-infesting insects, stem from the United States. The majority of those emissions trace back to just a few counties in California, according to a new study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. ...60-85% of sulfuryl fluoride emissions in the U.S. come from California, primarily Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties.... First approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for use as a pesticide in 1959, sulfuryl fluoride gained popularity after countries around the world agreed to phase out more reactive fumigants that were depleting the ozone layer, the researchers said. ...the team was able to attribute the vast majority, roughly 85% of the state's sulfuryl fluoride emissions, to structural fumigation—the practice of sealing an infested structure with an airtight tent, pumping gas into the tent to eradicate the pests, and afterward venting the gas directly into the atmosphere. Roughly 15% came from agricultural and commodities fumigation. ...Once emitted, the gas spreads and stays for more than 40 years in the atmosphere, where it contributes to global warming.... ...humans have been emitting the man-made gas for decades at a rate faster than it can break down naturally..... 

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