To continue to attract air carriers from Latin America, DFW constructed a state-of-the-art, "environmentally-safe" International Perishable Treatment Center would set the standard for airport perishable treatment centers across the United States. The Center, a 40' x 60' building with an attached office, looks more like a large garage than a state-of-the-art facility.

But nobody said it had to look pretty!

The location of the site was chosen because it met state and federal regulatory concerns and was in sync with DFW's cargo master plan. The $1.3 million facility officially opened for business on March 12, 1999. The facility enables DFW would to more aggressively market to Latin American cargo carriers, which carry large quantities of perishable cargo that sometimes require fumigation.

Inside the building sits a state-of-the-art methyl bromide emission control system. It captures methyl bromide (gas used during fumigation) and cleans the air with charcoal filters before releasing it into the atmosphere. When the air is finally released, it is 99.8 percent pure.

You ask yourself, why such an elaborate system to fumigate bugs? In order to meet state and federal regulatory statues, the Airport decided to commit to a new technology never before used at major international airports. The process had been experimented with at seaports on the West Coast and proved very safe and reliable. DFW is the first airport to install a charcoal filtration system in the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) monitors all fumigations per federal regulations. DFW permits private sector fumigating companies to conduct the fumigation. Whenever an importer clears perishable cargo at DFW, USDA inspectors meet the flight and conduct a detailed examination of the shipment. The inspectors randomly select species and varieties from different farms. During the inspection, which is held at the airline's cargo facility, USDA inspectors search for pests, usually small insects or flies referred to as hitchhikers, which are not indigenous to the U.S. If any are found, USDA gives the importer or his broker one of three choices: return to origin, incinerate or fumigate. If the decision is to fumigate the shipment is then transported by truck to the International Perishable Treatment Center located in the West Cargo Area of the Airport.

A typical fumigation usually lasts approximately two hours, but large shipments can last six to eight hours. The fumigator first off-loads the shipment from the truck and places it under a tarp inside the facility. A hose is attached to the tarp, extracts the methyl bromide and pumps it into the emission control system. USDA inspectors and members of DFW's Environmental Department monitor all fumigations to make sure state and federal guidelines are being followed. During the entire process the fumigator is monitoring his equipment for any leaks in his lines. Once the fumigation is complete the shipment is released by USDA and sent on to its final destination. To date only a few fumigations have been conducted at the new facility. In the future as the volume of perishable cargo increases additional fumigations will be conducted.

Once again, DFW is leading the industry by building a state-of-the-art facility for the 21st century that is "environmentally-safe" and able to meet the growing needs of the cargo community.

For more information please contact:

Bill Frainey,
Director, Cargo & Trade Development
T 972 574 0015
bfrainey@dfwairport.com