Abstract
Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers (α-, β- and γ- HCH [lindane]) were recently added to the list of persistent organic pollutants regulated by the Stockholm Convention, and therefore, the legacy of HCH and lindane production has become an issue of global relevance. The production of lindane with the much larger quantities of associated waste isomers has generated large waste deposits and contaminated sites. This article presents an overview of HCH-polluted sites in Brazil as a basis for further activities related to the Stockholm Convention. The locations of HCH stockpiles and contaminated sites in Brazil arising from production and formulation have been compiled and mapped. This shows that the measures taken over the past 25 years have not resulted in remediation of the HCH pollution. An exposure risk study has been summarised for one major site and is included to demonstrate the contemporary relevance of the contamination. Major site remediation efforts are planned at one site but people live close to several other sites, and there is an urgent need of further assessments and remediation to ensure the protection of human health and the environment. The Stockholm Convention requires a systematic approach and should be adopted for the assessment of all sites and appropriate isolation/remediation measures should be facilitated. The appropriate planning of these activities for the production site in Rio de Janeiro could be a positive contribution for Rio+20 highlighting that green economy and sustainable production also include the appropriate management of legacies of historic production of an industrial sector (here the organochlorine industry).
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Notes
A popular name in Brazil for HCH is ‘powder-drill’.
In particular, ‘Zero hazardous waste not covered by an environmental sound management’
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Acknowledgments
The authors are indebted to Mr. Andre Junqueira who provided valuable information regarding the Matarazzo site and numerous contributions to the International HCH and Pesticide Association database to uncover the global HCH pollution. Thanks to Tim Newfield for corrective reading. João PM Torres is an advanced fellow at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and is partially funded by grant 1D43TW00640 from Fogarty-NIH and CNPq (Brazilian Research Council) and FAPERJ (Rio de Janeiro State Agency for Research).
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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues
This article also belongs to the series ‘Dioxin and POPs contaminated sites’ edited by Roland Weber, Mats Tysklind and Caroline Gaus (Weber et al. 2008).
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Torres, J.P.M., Fróes-Asmus, C.I.R., Weber, R. et al. HCH contamination from former pesticide production in Brazil—a challenge for the Stockholm Convention implementation. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 1951–1957 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-1089-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-1089-4