Lindane

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Lindane
Hexachlorocyclohexane
BY
Ping Hsu Micheal Greco BangLiang Zhao
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What is Lindane?

• It was introduced as a pediculicide and scabicide
  in 1952 as Kwell by Reed and Carnrick
• Lindane is the primary synonym for
  gamma-Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) also commonly
  referred to as benzene hexachloride (BHC)
• Lindane is a nerve poison, an organochlorine
  (chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticide) pesticide
• Lindane is a known carcinogen in the state of
  California where it has been banned
• Lindane is an Endocrine disrupting chemical and
  Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP)

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What happens when it effect us?

• poisoning with lindane may occur by ingestion,
  inhalation, or skin absorption
• possible acute symptoms include headache, nausea,
  vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, weakness,
  convulsions, dyspnea, cyanosis circulatory
  collapse
• lindane may cause endocrine disruption that is
  capable of imitating certain hormones in humans
• It could cause breast cancer
• Lindane has been linked with blood disorders
  known as blood dyscrasias, and in particular the
  disorder aplastic anaemia where the formation of
  platelets and white cells is disrupted

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More about Lindane

• Lindane has been found in increasing
  concentration in the marine environment, and
  particularly in the North Sea
• Lindane is fat soluble and can bioaccumulate
  through food chains
• Lindane have been detected in the kidneys, livers
  and adipose tissue of a wide range of wild
  animals and birds, and in human body fat. It is
  highly toxic to aquatic invertebrates and fish
• by lindane have been reported in Europe. Children
  are significantly more susceptible to its toxic
  effects

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Simple history about Lindane

• It goes back to the 1940s when cheap and
  relatively hazardous chemicals were considered
  acceptable, before more stringent health and
  environmental criteria came into force. In the
  mid 1980s, lindane was included in the PDD (PAN
  Dirty Dozen) list. In 2001 the Stockholm
  convention suggested that the 12 original Pan
  Dirty Dozen chemicals be completely eliminated
  from the Earth.
• It's still being used as a pesticide in the
  Southern Europe, especially on the cocoa crop.
  This means that the chocolate we eat may be
  contaminated with Lindane.

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Where can Lindane be found?

• Lindane can be found in air, water and soil
  samples throughout the world
• Many countries have banned Lindane, such as
  Canada, Europe, and Asia
• Unfortunately, in the United States, it is still
  widely prescribed and used on children and their
  families for treating head lices and scabies.
• It is also used on pets, livestock, fruits and
  vegetables, cotton, wool, tobacco, plants, trees
  and as a wood preservative

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Bibliography

• http//www.headlice.org/lindane/index.htm
• http//www.drgreene.com/21_1449.html
• http//www.pan-uk.org/banlindane/