Chlordane measurement

Hematological Effects. A questionnaire survey revealed that 4% of persons living in homes treated with chlordane to control termites reported anemia as a chronic effect (Menconi et al. 1988). The effect cannot be attributed to chlordane alone, because the quantitative amounts of aldrin and heptachlor were combined with the chlordane measurement in the analysis of indoor air. A number of anecdotal reports of blood dyscrasia associated with organochlorine pesticides (chlordane. 

Martin (16) has also suggested such a relationship in the chlorinated polycyclic compounds such as chlordan. Accordingly the author has measured the reactivities of the... 

Technical chlordane is stable under ultraviolet (UV) light, although some components, such as chlordene, heptachlor, cis-chlordane, and /ram-chlordanc, will form photoisomers under high-intensity UV light in the presence of sensitizers, such as ketones (NRCC 1975 Menzie 1978). Several compounds were measured in alfalfa grown on soils treated with chlordane, including 1,2-... 

Chlordane is readily absorbed by warm-blooded animals through skin, diet, and inhalation. It is quickly distributed in the body and tends to concentrate in liver and fat (WHO 1984). Up to 75% of a single oral dose of chlordane administered to rats and mice was absorbed in the gut, and up to 76% of an aerosol dose was absorbed in the respiratory tract (Nomeir and Hajjar 1987). Rabbits absorbed 33% in the gut following oral administration (USEPA 1988). Chlordane residues in mammals were usually not measurable 4 to 8 weeks after cessation of exposure (Ingle 1965). Chlordane persistence in human serum and whole body was estimated at 88 days and 21 days, respectively this compares to a Tb 1/2 of about 23 days in rats fed chlordane for 56 days (USEPA 1980). 

Sample, Units of Measurement, Chlordane Isomer, and Other Variables Concentration11 Referenceb... 

Extremely high levels of chlordanes (e.g., 1746 to 7643 pg/kg FW) were measured in several species of South Florida corals collected in 1985 (Table 13.2). It has been speculated that the elevated levels were due to the illegal disposal of chlordanes off Key Largo, Florida, in 1982 (Glynn et al. 1989). 

Maximum concentrations of chlordanes in American oysters (Crassostrea virginica) taken in the Gulf of Mexico in 1976 were near 0.1 pg/kg dry weight (Table 13.2). Chlordane concentrations were substantially lower than concentrations of other organochlorines measured in oysters, such as DDT (28 pg/kg) and polychlorinated biphenyls (90 pg/kg), suggesting a need for additional studies on interaction effects of chlordane residues with those of other environmental chemicals (Rosales et al. 1979). 

Health advisories have been issued near Lawrence, Kansas, based on chlordane levels in edible fish tissues. In fish from the Kansas River, Kansas, in 1986, chlordanes were detected more frequently and at higher levels than other contaminants measured (Arruda et al. 1987). More than 80% of the sites sampled in Kansas had detectable chlordanes in fish at more than 50% of these sites, levels exceeded 0.1 mg/kg fresh weight — a guideline for the protection of predatory fish. At three urban sites in Kansas, concentrations of chlordanes in fish have approached or exceeded... 

Inhalation for 90 days of air containing No measurable effect (Khasawinah etal. 1989) 10 pg technical chlordane/L... 

Measurement of effects of depleted soil fertility from chlordane-induced earthworm suppression on migratory birds and other wildlife (NRCC 1975 WHO 1984)... 

Chlordane is readily absorbed by warm-blooded animals via skin, diet, and inhalation, and distributed throughout the body. In general, residues of chlordane and its metabolites are not measurable in tissues 4 to 8 weeks after exposure, although metabolism rates varied significantly between species. Food chain biomagnification is usually low, except in some marine mammals. In most mammals, the metabolite oxychlordane has proven much more toxic and persistent than the parent chemical. 

Hassoun et al. (1993) examined the effects of various pesticides on lipid peroxidation and DNA single strand breakage in the hepatic cells of female Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were dosed orally once with endrin at 4.5 mg/kg, lindane at 30 mg/kg, chlordane at 120 mg/kg, or DDT (dichlorodiphenyl trichloro-ethane) at 40 mg/kg, or vehicle only (com oil, control). At 6, 12, and 24 hours post-dosing, 4 animals from each group were sacrificed, their livers removed, and prepared for lipid peroxidation assay. Lipid peroxidation was measured calorimetrically by determining the amount of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) formed. Exposure to endrin resulted in a 14.5% increase in hepatic mitochondrial... 

Laboratory tests can detect heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide in blood, fat, breast milk, and body tissues after exposure to high levels. These tests are not commonly available at your doctor s office. Most often, the test for heptachlor epoxide is used because heptachlor is quickly changed into heptachlor epoxide in your body. Blood samples are used most often because they are easy to collect. These tests are specific for heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide. However, heptachlor is both a breakdown product and a component of chlordane, another pesticide. So if heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide are measured in the blood, the actual exposure could have been to chlordane. 

A case report of oral exposure to technical-grade chlordane reported neurological effects including irritability, salivation, dizziness, muscle tremors, and convulsions (Dadey and Kammer 1953). However, exposure measurements were not provided in the report, and technical-grade chlordane contains varying amounts of heptachlor. The effects cannot be said to have resulted from exposure to heptachlor only. 

Hematological Effects. Intermediate and chronic inhalation exposure of humans to mixtures of heptachlor, chlordane, and other chemicals has been associated with leukemia and aplastic and hemolytic anemias. These exposures were either occupational or followed the use of termiticides in homes. These exposures were probably primarily inhalation combined with dermal. There are oral animal studies that confirm that the hematopoietic system, specifically the white cells, can be affected by heptachlor exposure. Rats fed 0.5 mg/kg/day heptachlor in the diet showed a statistically significant increase in total white blood count (Enan et al. 1982). It appears that although the hematopoietic system is not a primary target for heptachlor or heptachlor epoxide, it can be measurably affected. 

Biomarkers of Exposure and Effect. Exposure to heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide is currently measured by determining the level of these chemicals in the blood or adipose tissue in living organisms (Curley et al. 1969 Klemmer et al. 1977 Radomski et al. 1968). This measure is specific for both heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide. Heptachlor epoxide is also a metabolite of chlordane, and thus its presence is not specific for exposure to heptachlor alone. However, in the absence of stable chlordane residues (e.g., nonachlor and oxychlordane), the heptachlor epoxide would most likely have been derived from heptachlor. Because heptachlor is believed to be converted rapidly in the body to heptachlor epoxide, it is impossible to determine whether the exposure was to one or the other of these two compounds. Heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide accumulate in adipose tissue and are released slowly over long periods of time. Therefore, it is not possible to accurately identify whether the exposure was recent or what the duration of exposure was. However, the ratio of heptachlor epoxide to heptachlor increases over time and therefore may be used as a biomarker of possible exposure to heptachlor. The sensitivity of the methods for identifying these compounds in human tissue appears to be only sufficient to measure background levels of heptachlor epoxide in the population. Additional biomarkers of exposure to heptachlor would be helpful at this time. 

A pair of stereo-isomers, cis-and trani-nonachlor can be used as surrogates for measuring relative levels of chlordane between systems or over time... 

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