NOR-AM Chemical Company has requested voluntary cancellation of two soil fumigant products, Vorlex Soil Fumigant and Vorlex 201 Soil Fumigant, due to the cost of re-registering the products as required under the FIFRA regulations. Active ingredients in both products include methylisothiocynanate (MITC) and 1,3-dichloropropene. Vorlex has been used to control disease, weeds, and insects for a variety of fruit, vegetable, ornamental, and greenhouse crops.

The availability of chemical fumigants for soil is diminishing. EPA is currently evaluating the possibility that another widely used fumigant, methyl bromide, depletes atmospheric ozone. Such a determination would probably result in cancellation of methyl bromide. This would leave Vapam and Busan as the only remaining soil fumigants on the market.

This article originally appeared in the June 3, 1992 issue, p. 91.