Sulfuryl fluoride

The inorganic compound sulfuryl fluoride, has the formula SO2F2. With characteristics more akin to sulfur hexafluoride than sulfuryl chloride, it is a readily condensed gas that resists hydrolysis even at temperatures up to 150 °C. Although it is a strong greenhouse gas and neurotoxin, it is frequently used as a fumigant pesticide to control termites.

Sulfuryl fluoride is dangerous when inhaled since it can cause convulsions, lung irritation, pulmonary edema, nausea, abdominal pain, central nervous system depression, numbness in the extremities, and death. These excessive exposures happened as a result of unauthorized entry into buildings during fumigation or inadequate aeration. Epidemiological research revealed neurological impacts in sulfuryl fluoride-using fumigation employees, including impaired cognitive and pattern memory as well as impaired olfactory function.

In 1987, a senior couple who had already approved their home for reentry was exposed to sulfuryl fluoride. The level of sulfuryl fluoride was not measured when the fumigation company opened windows and doors and aerated the house using fans. When the air was sampled 12 days following aeration, it was not found. That nightfall, the pair felt weak, queasy, and out of breath. The man had a seizure and passed on the next day. With pulmonary edema, his wife's condition deteriorated, and six days later, she suffered a cardiovascular arrest and passed away.