The Dangers of Chlordane

updated 05/22/2008

What is Chlordane?

Chlordane is a manmade chemical that was manufactured as a pesticide in the U.S. Unlike other chemicals, chlordane does not occur in the environment naturally. It is a mixture of two isomers called "alpha-chlordane and gamma-chlordane" mixed with a variety of side products.

Sold by Chevron from 1948 to 1988 with trade names Octachlor® and Velsicol 1068® and marketed as an "ant killer", chlordane is a white powdery dust combined with an emulsifier. When this material is mixed with water from emulsification, it becomes thick liquid, whose color ranges from colorless to amber depending on the chemical's purity. Some variants may be odorless, while others may have an irritating smell. Before 1983, consumers used chlordane as pesticide on crops like citrus and corn or on gardens and home lawns.

Due to concerns about environmental damage and health risks of cancer on humans, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned the usage of chlordane in 1983, except for controlling termites in homes, which was applied underground around home foundations. However, in 1988, the agency banned chlordane in all its uses. However, manufacture for export continued.

How am I Exposed to Chlordane?

Since chlordane has been banned for more than 20 years, you may think that you cannot be exposed to chlordane. You're wrong. Chlordane sticks to soil particles strongly. It is not likely to enter groundwater, nor does it dissolve easily in water. As a result, chlordane could stay in the soil for more than 20 years, breaking down extremely slowly.

In the United States, almost everyone is exposed to low levels of chlordane. Before this chemical was banned in 1988, people may have been heavily exposed to high levels of chlordane, especially if they worked in a factory manufacturing, formulating or applying chlordane. Meaning, farmers or gardeners before 1978 and pest control workers before 1988 may have been exposed to chlordane.

Although chlordane has not been used since 1988, this did not eliminate chlordane in the environment. Today, people can still be exposed to chlordane just by living in homes that were once treated for termites using the substance, even after many years after treatment. Unfortunately, more than 50 million people in the United States have lived in chlordane-treated homes, making them exposed to chlordane until today.

The most common source of chlordane exposure is from eating chlordane-contaminated food, including fish and shellfish. This chemical remains in the food supply because most farmlands today were treated with chlordane in the 1960s to 1970s. However, since chlordane has been banned for over 20 years, the levels in contaminated soils have decreased with time. People can also be exposed when digging in soil whose house foundations were sprayed with chlordane against termites.

What are the Symptoms of Chlordane Exposure?

Chlordane exposure could affect:

• Digestive system
• Nervous system
• Liver

When large amounts of chlordane are taken by mouth, it could cause convulsions and even death.

People who swallowed small amounts or breathed air containing high concentrations of chlordane could experience:

How do I Test Myself for Chlordane Exposure?

Chlordane exposure could be measured in human feces, urine, blood and breast milk. Tests have shown that many Americans have low levels of chlordane in their body fats, which could stay in the body for a long time. As such, finding the amounts of chlordane in body fat cannot tell when the exposure occurred and what health effects would occur.

Over 75% of American homes constructed before March 1988 probably have air contaminated with chlordane. Because of this, it is important to test homes of chlordane, especially if any member of the family is experiencing signs of chlordane exposure, including asthma, infertility, allergies, bacterial infections, reoccurring colds, immune system problems and other neurological symptoms.

To test the air for chlordane, hire an air technician to perform the test. Anyone can also conduct the test by ordering an easily administered "chlordane home air testing kit". Regardless if you conduct the test yourself or have a professional do it for you, by testing your home's air, you could determine if you're living in air with "safe levels" of chlordane.

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