Fumigant Use in California and an Assessment of Available Alternatives: Phase II Report on Structural Fumigation with Sulfuryl Fluoride

Phase II Report

This is the second report released in a multi-part study requested by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) to support the state’s transition toward safer and more sustainable pest management practices. CCST evaluated ten alternatives to sulfuryl fluoride, which is the only federally approved pesticide used to manage pests like termites or beetles for whole-structure fumigation. The study found that both chemical and non-chemical localized treatments are effective and widely used in California. However, CCST concluded that few viable alternatives are currently available for whole-structure fumigation.

Cal Poly Strawberry Center Director Gerald Holmes, PhD, served as the study’s Steering Committee Chair, with University of Idaho Professor Emeritus of Ecotoxicology Alan Kolok, PhD, serving as co-Chair. The five-member Steering Committee worked with the report authors Michael Rust, PhD, UC Riverside Department of Entomology Professor Emeritus, and Kimberly Parra, MPH, PhD, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Research Collaborator and Epidemiologist.