Chlordane recommendations

Both DDT and chlordan are used in colorless, odorless, deobase-type solvent DDT in 5% solution and chlordan in 2% solution. The oil solvent is used because it is a nonconductor and because experience has shown that the crystals from a film of oil solvent solution adhere more firmly to the surface sprayed. A pressure-type spray tank, either a hand pump or mechanical source of air pressure, is used, with a special nozzle which gives a fan-shaped nonmisting spray. A special dripless valve is used. Several valves and nozzles which meet these requirements are on the market. The appropriate areas are sprayed with this fan-shaped painting spray stream, so that the surface glistens with the wet film but there is not sufficient quantity to run down. Experience has shown that this will leave approximately 200 mg. of DDT per square foot or an equivalent amount of chlordan. This procedure is recommended by the U. S. Public Health Service in its spraying technique for residences and food establishments treated in its program of spraying DDT only for malaria control. It has not as yet recommended chlordan for this use. Specifications for the sprayer nozzles procedure can be obtained from this source. 

Additional research on chlordane is recommended in nine general areas ... 

Past chlordane use, coupled with atmospheric transport as the major route of dissemination, produced global contamination of fish and wildlife resources and human populations. The chemical and its metabolites were frequently detected in all species examined, but usually at low concentrations. Residues in fish muscle sometimes exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration action level of 0.3 mg/kg fresh weight recommended for human health protection. In general, chlordane in animals is highest near areas where the chemical has been applied to control termites concentrations are highest in fat and liver, especially in predatory species. 

Treatment is symptomatic. Anticonvulsive treatment with diazepam or phenobarbital is usually effective for control of convulsions. Cholestyramine treatment has been suggested for increased elimination this treatment has not been proven beneficial for chlordane, although contaminating heptachlor excretion was increased. Activated charcoal administered as a slurry is recommended. Gastric lavage may be useful if performed quickly after ingestion (within Ih). 

In spite of the fact that in warm-blooded organisms chlordane and heptachlor are substantially converted to hydrophylic metabolites and are excreted in this form, accumulation in the fatty tissues is considerable. In the USA the presence of these compounds was established in 73% of the milk product investigated and in 77% of the meat and fish samples. At the same time, animal experiments showed that their carcinogenicity is probable. Therefore, the Environmental Protection Agency recommended a complete ban on the use of these insecticides in the USA. 

The Occupational Safety and Flealth Administration (OSFIA) regulates chlordane levels in the workplace. The maximum allowable level in workplace air is 0.5 mg/m for a person who is exposed for 8 hours per workday and 40 hours per workweek. The National Institute for Occupational Flealth and Safety (NIOSFI) also recommends an exposure limit of 0.5 mg/m fora person exposed to chlordane in the workplace for 8 hours per workday and 40 hours per workweek. Chapter 7 provides more information on chlordane regulations. 

There are no established tolerances for chlordane or heptachlor in the ambient air in home environments. An interim guideline level of 5.0 pg/m3 (chlordane) and 2.0 pg/m (heptachlor) has been recommended by the Committee on toxicology of the National Academy of Sciences (8). The maximum allowable limit in work-space air during a 40 h workweek (Threshold Limit Value, Time Weighted Average) (TLV-TWA) is 500 pg/m for chlordane and heptachlor (9). 

Air of eight of the rooms sampled during the study contained chlordane residues above the recommended 5.0 pg/m limit. Five of these rooms were from houses treated in 1983, two were from houses treated in 1980, and one was from a 1979-treated house. Both the kitchen and bedroom in a 1983-treated home (crawl-space construction on sandy soil) were higher than the recommended level, while the other six rooms were in six different dwellings. The air concentrations iti these rooms ranged from 5.3 to 9.9 pg/m3. 

The chlorinated compounds should be completely separated in the order listed in Section 2, with heptachlor nearest the solvent front and dicofol closest to the origin. Other common organochlorine insecticides that can be detected and identified by this TLC procedure include aldrin, DDE, DDT, TDE (DDD), endrin, BHC, daconil, methoxychlor, captan, toxaphene, and chlordane. Alternative mobile phases that should be tested for any particular mixture not separated by hexane-acetone (99 1) include hexane (recommended for aldrin, heptachlor, p,p -DDE, o,p and p,p -DDT and p,p -TDE) benzene-hexane (1 1) and hexane-methanol (99 1) (applicable to more polar pesticides). 

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