Lindane toxicity

Toxicity can occur when children ingest one teaspoon or more of 1% lindane shampoo. Ingestion of one tablespoon or more of lindane shampoo may result in significant toxicity. Symptoms of lindane toxicity include agitation, tremors, seizures, and respiratory depression. 

Chronic dermal application of 1% lindane shampoo does have the potential to cause lindane toxicity, so it is not uncommon for products to contain precautionary labeling to avoid the reapplication of lindane products within at least a few months after use. 

Behan PO, Haniffah BAG Chronic fatigue syndrome a possible delayed hazard of pesticide exposure (letter). Clin Infect Dis 18 (suppl 1) S54, 1994 Biskind MS, Bieber I DDT poisoning—a new syndrome with neuropsychiatric manifestations. Am J Psychother 3 261-270, 1949 Blair A, Dosemeci M, Heineman EF Cancer and other causes of death among male and female farmers from twenty-three states. Am J Ind Med 23 729-742,1993 Boyd EM, Chen CP Lindane toxicity and protein-deficient diet. Arch Environ Health 17 156-163, 1968... 

Animal and Human Toxicity. The acute toxicity of lindane depends on the age, sex, and animal species, and on the route of adrninistration. The oral LD q in mice, rats, and guinea pigs is 86, 125—230, and 100—127 mg/kg, respectively. In contrast, most of the other isomers were considerably more toxic (94,95). Some of the other toxic responses caused by lindane in laboratory animals include hepato- and nephotoxicity, reproductive and embryotoxicity, mutagenicity in some short-term in vitro bioassays, and carcinogenicity (80). The mechanism of the lindane-induced response is not known. Only minimal data are available on the mammalian toxicides of hexachlorocyclopentadiene. 

The effects of occupational exposure to lindane have been investigated extensively (96—100). These studies indicated that occupational exposure to lindane resulted in increased body burdens of this chemical however, toxic effects associated with these exposures were minimal and no central nervous system disorders were observed. This is in contrast to the polyneuropathies that are often observed after exposure to other haloorganic solvents. 

Many very hazardous solvents, such as benzene and carbon tetrachloride, were widely used until the 1970s. The situation was very similar for the use of pesticides. Among the toxic pesticides that were still in wide use 20 years ago were chlorophenols, DDT, lindane, and arsenic salts, all of which are classified as human carcinogens as well as being acutely toxic. Fortunately, use of these kinds of very toxic chemicals is now limited in the industrialized world. However, because the number of chemicals used in various industries continues to increase, the risks of long-term health hazards due to long-term exposure to low concentrations of chemicals continues to be a problem in the workplace. 

Toxic Effects on the Blood-Forming Tissues Reduced formation of erythrocytes and other elements of blood is an indication of damage to the bone marrow. Chemical compounds toxic to the bone marrow may cause pancytopenia, in which the levels of all elements of blood are reduced. Ionizing radiation, benzene, lindane, chlordane, arsenic, chloramphenicol, trinitrotoluene, gold salts, and phenylbutazone all induce pancytopenia. If the damage to the bone marrow is so severe that the production of blood elements is totally inhibited, the disease state is termed aplastic anemia. In the occupational environment, high concentrations of benzene can cause aplastic anemia. 

Toxic organic compounds commonly found in groundwater are presented in Table 18.4. Other toxic organic compounds (representing 1% of cases) include PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), 2,4-D, 2,4,5-TP (silvex), toxaphene, methoxychlor, lindane, and endrin, of which 2,4-D and silvex are commonly used for killing aquatic and land weeds. Inorganic toxic substances commonly found in... 

Gonzalez-Murua, C., A. Munoz-Rueda, F. Hernando, and M. Sanchez-Diaz. 1985. Effect of atrazine and methabenzthiazuron on oxygen evolution and cell growth of Chlorella pyrenoidosa. Weed Res. 25 61-66. Gorge, G. and R. Nagel. 1990. Toxicity of lindane, atrazine, and deltamethrin to early life stages of zebrafish (Brachydanio rerio). Ecotoxicol. Environ. Safety 20 246-255. 

Wolfe, J.L. and R.J. Esher. 1980. Toxicity of carbofuran and lindane to the old-field mouse (Peromyscus polionotus) and the cotton mouse (P. gossypinus). Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 24 894-902. 

Randall, W.F., W.H. Dennis, and M.C. Warner. 1979. Acute toxicity of dechlorinated DDT, chlordane and lindane to bluegill (lepomis macrochirus) and Daphnia magna. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 21 849-854. 

See also Aminal growth studies Animal testing, cosmetics, 7 825 Animal toxicity, lindane and... 

Some examples of dehalogenation of pesticides are shown in Fig. 6, indicating the microbial conversion of DDT, Lindane, and Dalapon to non-toxic products such as DDE, 2,3,4,5,6-penta-chloro-l-cyclohexene, and pyruvic acid, respectively. 

Chlorinated micropoUutants are harmful for man and environment due to their toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation. Persistent compounds are very stable and difficult to get metabolized and mineralized by biological and chemical processes in the environment, and as a result, they have become ubiquitous in water, sediments, and the atmosphere bioaccumulation is the result of the lipophilicity of these compounds. Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and -furans (PCDD/F) are not produced purposely like many of other chlorinated technical products, such as chlorinated biocides DDT, lindane, and toxaphene. The production and use of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), the dirty dozen has now been banned worldwide by the Stockholm protocol. It should be mentioned that about 3000 halogenated products have now been isolated as natural products in plants, microorganisms, and animals," but the total amount of these products is much smaller compared to xenobiotics. 

The short list of chemicals represents only a small fraction of the inputs applied throughout North America. Lindane, malathion, MCPP, metolachlor, metribuzin, oryzalin, pendimethalin, and pronamide are just a few other of the dozens of formulations for insect and weed control available at any hardware or home maintenance store. All of them are toxic to some degree or another, and question marks hang over many of them as to the risk they may pose for people and the ambient environment. The potential hazards of each of the chemicals described above hints at the range of contemporary hazards associated with lawn care. 

Abel, P.D. Toxicity of gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (lindane) to Gammaruspulex. mortality in relation to concentration and duration of exposure. Freshwater Biol, 10 251-259,1980. 

Blockwell, S.J., Maund, S.J., andPascoe, D. The acute toxicity of lindane to /7ya7e77aazfecaandthedevelopmentofasublethal bioassay based on precopulatory guarding behavior, ArcA. Environ. Contam. Toxicol, 35(3) 432-440, 1998. 

Geyer, H., Schennert, I., Briiggemann, R., Matthies, M., Steinberg, C.E.W., Zitko, V., Kettmp, A., and Garrison, W. The relevance of aqnatic organisms lipid content to the toxicity of lipophilic chemicals toxicity of lindane to different fish species, Ecotoxicol Environ. Sal, 28(l) 53-70, 1994. 

Macek, K.J., Buxton, K.S., Deer, S.K., Dean, J.W., and Sauter, S. Chronic toxicity of lindane to selected aquatic invertebrates and fish, U.S. EPA Report 600/3-76-046, 1976a. 

Schimmel, S.C., Patrick, J.M., Jr., and Forester, J. Toxicity and bioconcentration of BHC and lindane in selected estuarine animals. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol, 6(2/3) 355-363, 1977a. 

Several chlorophenols, including 2,5-dichlorophenol, have been identified in laboratory animals exposed to lindane. This indicates that the presence of 2,5-dichlorophenol is fairly specific, but not completely specific, for 1,4-dichlorobenzene exposure. Information on the analytical methods commonly used to detect and quantify 1,4-dichlorobenzene in biological samples is presented in Section 6.1. There are currently no data available to assess a potential correlation between the values obtained with these measurements and the toxic effects observed in humans or laboratory animal species. 

Chlorination of benzene gives an addition product that is a mixture of stereoisomers known collectively as hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH). At one time, this was incorrectly termed benzene hexachloride. The mixtnre has insecticidal activity, though activity was found to reside in only one isomer, the so-called gamma isomer, y-HCH. y-HCH, sometimes under its generic name lindane, has been a mainstay insecticide for many years, and is about the only example of the chlorinated hydrocarbons that has not been banned and is still available for general use. Although chlorinated hydrocarbons have proved very effective insecticides, they are not readily degraded in the environment, they accumulate and persist in animal tissues, and have proved toxic to many bird and animal species. 

Lindane (gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane) is one of the last of the old style organochlorine pesticides still in use. Use of organochlorines such as DDT, aldrin, dieldrin, heptachlor, and toxaphene is restricted or banned in many countries because of their persistence in the environment, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. Lindane was first isolated in 1825 along with other similar compounds, but its deadly effects on insects were not recognized until the 1940s. 

Lindane attacks the nervous system causing trembling, loss of coordination, paralysis, and ultimately death. Lindane was often applied as a spray on crops, where it would be either ingested or inhaled. Initially its environmental persistence was considered an asset, but eventually that was seen as a liability and led to restrictions in it use. Lindane is stable in water and has an average half-life of 15 months in soil. It is also highly toxic to fish trout are affected at levels as low as 1.7 J.g of lindane per liter of water. The US EPA restricted its use in 1983, as have most European countries. However, it continues to be used to treat seeds and is used in products to control head lice. In the US over 200,000 pounds are used each year to treat seeds prior to planting. 

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