September 1995 |
ToxFAQs™ |
for |
Chlordane |
(Clordano) |
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This fact sheet answers the most frequently
asked health questions about chlordane. For more information,
you may call the ATSDR Information Center at 1-888-422-8737.
This fact sheet is one in a series of summaries about hazardous
substances and their health effects. This information is important
because this substance may harm you. The effects of exposure
to any hazardous substance depend on the dose, the duration,
how you are exposed, personal traits and habits, and whether
other chemicals are present.
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SUMMARY: Exposure to chlordane
occurs mostly from eating contaminated foods, such as
root crops, meats, fish, and shellfish, or from touching
contaminated soil. High levels of chlordane can cause
damage to the nervous system or liver. This chemical has
been found in at least 171 of 1,416 National Priorities
List sites identified by the Environmental Protection
Agency. |
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What
is chlordane? |
Chlordane is a manufactured chemical
that was used as a pesticide in the United States from 1948
to 1988. Technical chlordane is not a single chemical, but
is actually a mixture of pure chlordane mixed with many related
chemicals. It doesn't occur naturally in the environment.
It is a thick liquid whose color ranges from colorless to
amber. Chlordane has a mild, irritating smell.
Some of its trade names are Octachlor
and Velsicol 1068. Until 1983, chlordane was used as a pesticide
on crops like corn and citrus and on home lawns and gardens.
Because of concern about damage to the
environment and harm to human health, the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) banned all uses of chlordane in 1983 except to
control termites. In 1988, EPA banned all uses.
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What
happens to chlordane when it enters the environment? |
- Chlordane entered the environment when it was used as
a pesticide on crops, on lawns and gardens, and to control
termites.
- Chlordane sticks strongly to soil particles at the surface
and is not likely to enter groundwater.
- It can stay in the soil for over 20 years.
- Most chlordane leaves soil by evaporation to the air.
- It breaks down very slowly.
- Chlordane doesn't dissolve easily in water.
- It builds up in the tissues of fish, birds, and mammals.
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How
might I be exposed to chlordane? |
- By eating crops grown in soil that contains chlordane.
- By eating fish or shellfish caught in water that is contaminated
by chlordane.
- By breathing air or touching soil near homes treated for
termites with chlordane.
- By breathing air or by touching soil near waste sites
or landfills.
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How
can chlordane affect my health? |
Chlordane affects the nervous system,
the digestive system, and the liver in people and animals.
Headaches, irritability, confusion, weakness, vision problems,
vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and jaundice have occurred
in people who breathed air containing high concentrations
of chlordane or accidentally swallowed small amounts of chlordane.
Large amounts of chlordane taken by mouth can cause convulsions
and death in people.
A man who had long-term skin contact
with soil containing high levels of chlordane had convulsions.
Japanese workers who used chlordane over a long period of
time had minor changes in liver function.
Animals given high levels of chlordane
by mouth for short periods died or had convulsions. Long-term
exposure caused harmful effects in the liver of test animals.
We do not know whether chlordane affects
the ability of people to have children or whether it causes
birth defects. Animals exposed before birth or while nursing
developed behavioral effects later.
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How
likely is chlordane to cause cancer? |
The International Agency for Research
on Cancer has determined that chlordane is not classifiable
as to its carcinogenicity to humans. Studies of workers who
made or used chlordane do not show that exposure to chlordane
is related to cancer, but the information is not sufficient
to know for sure. Mice fed low levels of chlordane in food
developed liver cancer.
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Is
there a medical test to show whether I've been exposed to chlordane? |
Laboratory tests can measure chlordane
and its breakdown products in blood, fat, urine, feces, and
breast milk. The amount of breakdown products measured in
body fat or breast milk does not tell how much or how long
ago you were exposed to chlordane or if harmful effects will
occur.
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Has the federal government made recommendations to protect human health? |
In 1988, the EPA banned all uses of chlordane.
The EPA recommends that a child should not drink water with
more than 60 parts of chlordane per billion parts of drinking
water (60 ppb) for longer than 1 day. EPA has set a limit
in drinking water of 2 ppb.
EPA requires spills or releases of chlordane
into the environment of 1 pound or more to be reported to
EPA.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
limits the amount of chlordane and its breakdown products
in most fruits and vegetables to less than 300 ppb and in
animal fat and fish to less than 100 ppb.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA), the National Institute for Occupational Health and
Safety (NIOSH), and the American Conference of Governmental
Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) set a maximum level of 0.5 milligrams
of chlordane per cubic meter (mg/m³) in workplace air
for an 8-hour workday, 40-hour workweek. These agencies have
advised that eye and skin contact should be avoided because
this may be a significant route of exposure.
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Glossary |
Carcinogenicity: Ability to cause cancer.
Long-term: Lasting one year or longer.
Milligram (mg): One thousandth of a gram.
Pesticide: A substance that kills pests.
ppb: Parts per billion.
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References |
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR). 1994. Toxicological
Profile for chlordane. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, Public Health Service.
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Where can I get more information? |
ATSDR can tell you where to find occupational
and environmental health clinics. Their specialists can recognize,
evaluate, and treat illnesses resulting from exposure to hazardous
substances. You can also contact your community or state health
or environmental quality department if you have any more questions
or concerns. For more information, contact:
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Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Division of Toxicology
1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32
Atlanta, GA 30333
Phone: 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737)
FAX: (770)-488-4178
Email: ATSDRIC@cdc.gov
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