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Fume out

Scientists from the British Natural Resources Institute and the Kenyan Agricultural Research Institute working at Kenya's Rift valley suggest that volcanic carbon dioxide, instead of methyl bromide, could be used to exterminate granary pests (New Scientist, Vol 148, No 2004).

Experiments have been conducted on more than 2,000 tonnes of maize . The maize was fumigated with naturally produced carbon dioxide which resulted in the death of most of the weevils present therein. Other tests are required to confirm the effects and if they succeed, the phasing out of methyl bromide could be possible by the year 2006.

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