- Lindane is an
organochlorine insecticide, also known as gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane
(HCH) and benzene hexachloride (BHC). It has an LD50 of 88 mg/kg, and is
a suspected carcinogen. Its method of action is via interfering with the
GABAa receptor/Cl- channel. It has been used in agriculture and in
pharmaceutical products for the treatment of headlice and
scabies.
- Lindane is volatile
with roughly 90% entering the atmosphere and ultimately being deposited
in rain. In 1992 5.5 mg/L of lindane was detected in rain in
Oxfordshire. Like other agricultural pesticides, lindane is very easily
introduced into the water and food supply of an area through rainfall;
this can lead to low-level lindane poisoning amongst the local
community. A chief symptom of this is a tic causing occasional
flickering of the eyelid; other than this minor discomfort, such levels
of poisoning are not harmful. Lindane has caused seizures, blood
disorders, and brain cancer in children, and is linked to both breast
cancer and Parkinson's disease.
- The major sources of
lindane in the atmosphere are fugitive dust particles from wind erosion
of contaminated soil, and volatilization from treated agricultural soil
and from plant foliage sprayed with lindane. Lindane is removed from the
atmosphere by rain and dry deposition, with levels of lindane in the
atmosphere being seasonal and temperature-dependent.
- Lindane can also be
leached into the groundwater. It is highly soluble in water and has a
tendency to remain in the water column. The estimated degradation
half-lives of lindane in rivers, lakes and groundwater are 3–30 days,
30–300 days and >300 days respectively.
- Lindane has the
potential to bioaccumulate in organisms and to be transported over long
distances. It is this persistence that makes it such an effective seed
treatment but also a concern in the Arctic.
- Gamma HCH is formed
by the addition (oxidation) of chlorine (photochlorination) to benzene.
This reaction is started by free radical initiators such as visual or
ultraviolet light, X-rays, or g-rays, and produces a number of
stereoisomeric compounds with the molecular formula C6H6Cl6. This
mixture is commonly called technical benzene hexachloride (BHC), and
contains approximately 12-18 % of the g-isomer.
- Gamma-HCH is or has
been used as an insecticide on fruit and vegetable crops (including
greenhouse vegetables and tobacco), for seed treatment, in forestry
(including Christmas-tree treatment), and for animal treatment.
Medically, it is used for topical treatment against head and body lice
and scabies.
- Humans may be
exposed to the HCH compound in several ways. In some cases, lindane is
used in the form of a 1 percent cream or lotion for the treatment of
scabies and lice. Humans may also be accidentally exposed to HCH during
the production and use of pesticide products containing the substance.
Dietary exposure is the primary route of human exposure where HCH is
used on food plants and animals, since it is adsorbed from the
gastrointestinal tract.
- In the US, Alliant
Pharmaceuticals sells a Lindane shampoo and a lotion used to treat human
scabies infection, head lice and other ectoparasites. It is sold by
prescription only, in a one-percent formulation. It has recently been
banned for the treatment of head lice in California. In the United
States, the Food and Drug Administration requires these products be
labeled with prominent warnings about possible neurotoxicity,
particularly in young patients.
- Large amounts
of technical HCH continue to be used in India, mostly for cotton
protection and malaria control. 10 The United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE) also reports that technical HCH is still
widely used in Asia and the countries of the former Soviet Union. It is
also suspected there are stockpiles of lindane in various African and
Asian countries and in Russia.
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General
Information
- Fact
Sheet
- Consumer Factsheet
- What is Lindane
?
- Environmental
Behavior
- Health
Effects
- Chemical Watch
Factsheet
Guidelines
- Medication Guide -
Lindane (LIHN-dane) Shampoo
- Medication
Guide
Lindane (LIHN-dane) Lotion
- Quick Guide for
Removing Head Lice
- Insecticide Seed
Treatments
- Guidelines for
Drinking Water Quality
- Lindane in
Drinking-water
Market and
Reports
- Lindane Use in the
AERS Database
- Practice
Prevention
- Purchasing for
Pollution Prevention
- Lindane Case
Study
- Lindane Task Force
Trip Report
- The North American
Regional Action Plan (NARAP) on Lindane
- Who Profits from
Lindane?
- The future of
lindane in North America
- Atmospheric Supply
of Lindane
- A cluster of
haematuria cases in a pesticide-manufacturing plant
- Public Health Goal
for LINDANE In Drinking Water
- Environmental
Criteria
Risk
Assessment
- Draft Risk
Management Evaluation for Lindane
- Limits on
Lindane
- Pest Management
Regulatory Agency
- Toxic
effects
- Risk
profile
- Safety of Topical
Lindane Products for the Treatment of Scabies and Lice
-
Reducing Human and Environmental Risks from the
Insecticide
Lindane
- North America acts
to reduce risk of exposure to lindane
Products
- Lindane
Borer
- Lindane ST
40
- Lindane Technical BP
Grade
- Lindane Lotion
USP
- Lindane Technical -
Micronised
- Lindane Shampoo,
USP
- Lindane in Soil Tube
Kit
- Technical
Lindane
- Product
Advancements
Processing
- Extraction of
Organohalides from Fish Tissue
- Degradation of
Lindane by Escherichia coli
- Environmental
Consequences of Lindane Production
- The Legacy of
Lindane HCH
Isomer Production
- Lindane
- Slow-Release
Inoculation Allows Sustained Biodegradation of
-Hexachlorocyclohexane
Various View
Points
- Cancellation
Order
- EPA Announces Halt
to Lindane for Ag Use
- NGO statement on
Lindane for NARAP meeting
- Public Health
Statement
- Statement in Support
of the Elimination of Lindane Use in North America
- Registration
Eligibility Decision for Lindane
Plant
- Kanoria Chemicals
& Industries Limited (KCI)
- Lindane's Dirty
Secret
- The Lindane
Plant-Porto Romano
- India Pesticides
Limited
- Oltchim
- Pesticide
contamination in the abandoned chemical plant, Porto Romano
|
Uses
- Use of
Lindane
- Major Uses of
Lindane
- Skin with Lindane
Application
- Lindane (CAS No.
58-89-9)
and Other Hexachlorocyclohexane
Isomers uses
- Lindane
Uses
Patent and
Technology
- Recovery of
hexabromocyclododecane particles
- Leaching
Contaminants from Post Consumer for Reuse in Food Contact
Application
- Dechlorination of
Lindane
- Transgenic Plant for
Lindane Degradation
- Insecticide
Composition for Use in the Form of Shampoo
Company
Profile
- Atanor
S.A
- Chemet
Chemicals Ltd
- Químicas ORO S.A.
- Aimco Pesticides
Ltd
Suppliers
- Manufacturers,
Suppliers, Distributors, Exporters in India
- Manufacturers and
Suppliers of Lindane
-
Indian Exporters & Manufacturers
- Lindane
Manufacturers
- Simonis B.
V
- Lindane
gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane Suppliers
- Wonder Chemic
Ltd.
Consultants
- Experts in hexachlorocyclohexane
- Experts in lindane
- Wolfram
Parzefall
- James Pinson
Ludwig
-
Quest Consultants & Associates,
Inc.
Policies and
Regulation
- Pesticide Regulation
Under
NAFTA
- Pest Management
Regulatory Agency
- Pesticide Regulation
Under NAFTA: Harmonization in Process?
- Pesticides in your
food
- Regulation of the
European Parliament
- Statements of
Policy
Clinical
Effects
- Childhood Pesticide
Exposures on the Texas–Mexico Border: Clinical Manifestations and Poison
Center Use
- Effects of
Pesticides on the Immune System
- Evaluation of
Neurotoxicity of Lindane
- Long-Term
Psychological and Neurological Complications of Lindane
Poisoning
- Health Hazard
Information
- Potential Health
Effects of Lindane
- Concerns over
lindane treatment for scabies and lice
Projects
-
Lindane Reduction Project
- Lindane in
India
- Manufacture of
Lindane
- UNU Project on EDC
Pollution in the East Asian Coastal Hydrosphere
- Lindane Modification
of Uterine Muscle
- Non-point Pesticide
Transport from Fields to Streams
- Twelve TMDLs for
Legacy Pollutants
- Lindane in the Czech
Republic
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