ABSTRACT
Chlordane has been released into the environment primarily from its application as an insecticide. Soil volatility tests have found that chlordane can volatilize significantly from soil surfaces on which it has been sprayed, particularly moist soil surfaces; however, shallow incorporation into soil will greatly restrict volatile losses. The presence of chlordane in sediment core samples suggests that chlordane may be very persistent in the adsorbed state in the aquatic environment. The detection of chlordane in rainwater and its observed dry deposition at various rural locations indicates that physical removal via wet and dry deposition occurs in the environment. Chlordane released to water is not expected to undergo significant hydrolysis, oxidation, or direct photolysis in water. Chlordane has been shown to undergo photosensitized reactions with the presence of acetone as a photosensitizer; cis-Chlordane is more susceptible to sensitized photolysis than trans-chlordane.
