Analysis of soil gas from the world's major biomes indicates that carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) uptake by soils is a ubiquitous process. The global flux of CCl4 from the atmosphere to soils was estimated to be 27 ¿ 21 kilotons per year (Kt yr-1), corresponding to a partial atmospheric lifetime of 90 years (yr). The total lifetime of CCl4 in the atmosphere, taking into account the stratospheric, oceanic and soil sinks is estimated to be 20 yr. The recently identified oceanic and soil sinks of atmospheric CCl4 suggest that current emission estimates of CCl4 may be underestimated by ~60%.