Inventory of sites potentially impacted by hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) now available online

The HCH in EU project, initiated by the European Parliament, evaluated the presence of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) in the EU. The project developed an EU-wide inventory of sites where HCH and lindane (a form of HCH) was handled. The project also helped authorities dealing with the legacy of these persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and with the sustainable management of six sites contaminated with HCH.

Lindane or gamma-HCH was produced and used as a broad-spectrum insecticide for seed and soil treatment, foliar applications, tree and wood treatment, and treatment against ectoparasites in both veterinary and human applications between 1945 and 2000. Lindane was also applied in forestry for defoliation and pest control, and to protect and preserve wood, plastic and stored material. Lindane is almost odourless, does not influence crop quality and cannot be detected by consumers.

600,000 tonnes of lindane were produced worldwide. However, lindane production was very inefficient because each tonne of lindane resulted in the production of 8 to 12 tonnes of waste isomers. More than 4.8 million tonnes of HCH-waste were - and to a great extent still are - present in the environment worldwide. These waste isomers were dumped on or near production facilities and often led to huge open-air mounds or landfills. Lindane and the other HCH isomers are POPs, so they barely degrade in the environment, bio-accumulate through the food chain and present a risk to human health and the environment. Lindane and HCH were banned in the EU in 2000. By November 2006, the use of lindane was banned in 52 countries and restricted in 33 others. Furthermore, in 2009, an international ban on the use of lindane was implemented under the Stockholm Convention on POPs.

The HCH in EU project compiled an inventory of sites that may have been affected by HCH. The sites in this inventory include lindane and HCH production and processing sites, waste deposits, landfills, storage facilities and waste treatment plants. The inventory has been incorporated into a custom-made Geographic Information Model (GIM). The project has identified a total of 299 sites where HCH and lindane were handled.