Hexachlorocyclohexane
Several isomeric compounds among the group of chlorinated hydrocarbons
Commercial production of Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) started after the 2nd world war. During the process of synthesis which requires benzene and chlorine, a mixture of different isomers evolves. This so called technical HCH
consists of 65-70% α-HCH, 7-20% β-HCH, 14-15% γ-HCH, 6-10% δ-HCH , and 1-2% ε-HCH. Of all isomers, only γ-HCH has insecticidal properties. A product consisting of at least 99% γ-HCH is called Lindane.
Technical HCH has been banned in the Federal Republic of Germany in 1977 and the uses of the insecticide Lindane are restricted to date. In the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) lindane was, next to DDT, the most widely used insecticide since the 1970s. Considerable amounts of lindane were produced in the GDR itself but it was also imported from other Eastern Bloc States.
HCH enters the environment during use of products containing HCH or lindane, e.g. in agriculture and forestry, in veterinary medicine and in households. Further environmental contamination may results from residues from lindane production. The production of one metric ton of lindane generates about nine tons of non-insecticidal isomers which were often improvidently disposed on dumping grounds.
The three main HCH-isomers alpha, beta and gamma were included in the Stockholm POP-Convention in 2009.
Recommended analysis examples
Search data
Substances
| alpha-HCH | The main constituent of technical HCH |
|---|---|
| Lindane (gamma-HCH) | Highly effective insecticide that was banned from agricultural use in 2002 and restricted in pharmaceutical use in 2007 |
| beta-HCH | Most persistent HCH-isomer with the highest potential for biomagnification |
Specimen
| Roe deer, one-year-old | The roe deer is the most common of the larger herbivores (first order-consumer) to be found in the wild in Europe. |
|---|---|
| Feral pigeon | A pigeon species home in nearly every city. |
| Zebra mussel | Common mussel species as invasive animal in rivers and lakes with high information level for water pollution |
| Bream | Bioindicator in rivers and lakes |
| Blue mussel | One of the most important edible mussel species common in the North and Baltic Sea |
| Eelpout | As the only viviparous fish in German nearshore waters, it is a bioindicator in nearshore coastal marine ecosystems. |
| Herring gull | Inshore, the herring gull mainly feeds from the sea: upon fish, mussels, and crabs. |
| Suspended particulate matter | Fine insoluble mineral or organic particles in the water phase |
Sampling area
| BR/NP Berchtesgaden | The only high mountains national park in Germany and an area of the Limestone Alps with international relevance. |
|---|---|
| Saarländischer Verdichtungsraum | Important, old-industrialised conurbation in Germany. |
| Bornhöveder Seengebiet | Main watershed between the North- and Baltic Sea. |
| Rhein | Longest river in Germany. |
| NP Bayerischer Wald | The Bavarian Forest National Park is Germany's first national park. |
| NP Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft | National Park in the largest brackish water (Bodden) habitat of the world. |
| BR/NP Wattenmeere | National park in the world largest connected sand and mud flats. |
| Elbe | Fourth largest river area in Central Europe. |
| Dübener Heide | Region in the chemical triangle of Central Germany. |
| NP Harz | The Harz National Park is Germany's largest forest national park. |
| Solling | Second highest and largest low mountain range in Northern Germany. |
| BR Pfälzerwald | Germany's largest connected forest area in a range of low mountains. |
| Oberbayerisches Tertiärhügelland | The Upper Bavarian Tertiary Uplands are a part of the Southern German Molasse Basin. |
| Donau | Second largest river in Europe. |
Sampling period
1985 - 2010
Extended information
Links to external information and legislation
- GSBL Joint Substance Database Federation/Länder - hexachlorocyclohexane: properties of environmental concern
- Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy.
- Directive 2008/105/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy
- VwVwS - Allgemeine Verwaltungsvorschrift zur Änderung der Verwaltungsvorschrift wassergefährdende Stoffe vom 27. Juli 2005
- Fische aus Mulde und Elbe kaum noch mit Lindan und seinen Nebenprodukten belastet