ABSTRACT
Ethyl bromide can be released to the environment in effluents from manufacturing and use facilities, in leachates from landfills, and through its use as a refrigerant. If released to the atmosphere, it will degrade relatively slowly by reaction with photochemically produced hydroxyl radicals. If released to water, ethyl bromide will be removed through hydrolysis and volatilization. The aqueous hydrolysis half-lives at 20 and 25 °C are 40 and 30 days, respectively. The volatilization half-lives from a model environmental river and model pond have been estimated to be 3.2 hr and 38.2 hr, respectively. If released to soil, ethyl bromide will be susceptible to hydrolysis under wet soil conditions. Its detection in landfill leachate demonstrates that environmental leaching can occur. Ethyl bromide's relatively high vapor pressure indicates that rapid evaporation from surfaces may occur.
