Lindane has been banned in 18 countries and severely restricted in 10 others. It has not been produced in the U. S. since 1977, but it is still imported here. You may still find lindane as the active poison ingredient in flea collars, moth and other household sprays. As a scabicide poison (against lice) on children it may be present in lotions, creams and shampoos.
Lindane is considered to be cumulative, a possible carcinogen and mutagen; a teratogen, immunotoxin and neurotoxin whose other long-term effects on human health include aplastic anemia, liver, testicular, bone marrow and kidney damages. Most registered uses were supposedly banned or at least severely restricted in 1983, but I still find gallons of lindane concentrate on farms, in offices and homes and it still is sold over the counter as a general use in Michigan.
The basic manufacturer of hexachlorocyclohexane was Hooker Chemical. Transformation products include hydrogen chloride, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, benzene, pentachlorobenzene (which is cumulative), pentachlorophenol and phosgene gas!
Lindane is a known hemotoxin - blood poison. Lindane exposure from recommended (labeled) dosages has resulted in blood diseases, e.g., aplastic anemia, which is a precursor to leukemia. It has caused blood disorders, seizures, reproductive problems, changes in levels of sex hormones and death. There are several reports of 6-fold increases in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in farmers exposed to lindane.
In 1990, Finnish researchers reported that women with breast cancer had higher concentrations of lindane-like residue (contamination) in their breasts than did women that did not have breast cancer. Still used to control lice on kids and fleas on pets. The Leukemia Society’s brochure states the only two known causes of leukemia are radiation and benzene. Please see the radioactive note later in this chapter and the benzene note earlier in this chapter.
The Author has reviewed other acute leukemia case-control studies that show a significant relationship exists between acute leukemia with an exposure to pesticides/insecticides (poisons) and/or “weed” killers. In the 1993, Vol. 24 issue of “Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology” a study documented a relationship between childhood brain cancers in Missouri children. Compared to healthy children, brain cancer was nearly 5 times more likely for children treated with Kwell (lindane poison) shampoo!
Lindane can remain in the air for up to 17 weeks and travel (and contaminate) long distances. It can accumulate in the fatty tissue of fish. Lindane was found in large quantities in Love Canal, NY. Pesticides are poisons that, obviously, kill more than what they are labeled for.