ABSTRACT
Lindane is the common name for gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (γ-HCH) and has been listed as a persistent organic pollutant (POP) under Stockholm Convention on June 29, 2005. The prohibited dumping of waste hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers (called “muck”) at sites all over the world is creating problems for the environment and soil systems. Lindane is a member of the organochlorine (OC) pesticide class. This is one of the oldest classes of pesticides, and few OCs are still in use. OC pesticides are so named because they include carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine. Three major subclasses of OC pesticides are diphenyl aliphatics, cyclodienes, and HCH. More than 52 countries have banned the use of lindane and production of any kind of its formulations (Vijgen 2011). The lindane-formulating countries are also one of the major problems as the formulations are accumulating at dumping sites and are toxic.
