| Chlordane (Ref: OMS 1437) |
![]() Last updated: 24/10/2025 |
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(Also known as: M140; ENT 9932; aspon-chlordane; kypchlor; chlorodane) |
| SUMMARY |
| Chlordane is an insecticide. It has a low aqueous solubility, is quite volatile and is not normally expected to leach to groundwater. It can be very persistent in both soil and water systems. It is moderately toxic to mammals and has a high potential for bio-concentration. It is also neurotoxic and a skin and eye irritant. It is highly toxic to birds, fish and moderately toxic to honeybees. |
| Hazard alerts |
The following alerts are based on the data in the tables below. An absence of an alert does not imply the substance has no implications for human health, biodiversity or the environment but just that we do not have the data to form a judgement. These hazard alerts do not take account of usage patterns or exposure, thus do not represent risk.
| Environmental fate | Ecotoxicity | Human health |
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Warning:Significant data are missing |
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An organochlorine insecticide once commonly used to control a range of pests but now obsolete and banned | |
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Termites; Ants; Wasps; Cockroaches | |
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Corn; Citrus; Vegetables; Turf & laens | |
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| GB regulatory status |
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Not approved | ||
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Expired/Banned | ||
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No UK approval for use as a plant protection agent |
| EC Regulation 1107/2009 (repealing 91/414) |
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Not approved | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Expired/Banned | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Additional information |
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| Chemical structure |
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A chiral molecule. Chlordane is a a complex mixture of isomers, other chlorinated hydrocarbons, and a range of by-products | |
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C₁₀H₆Cl₈ | |
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C1C2C(C(C1Cl)Cl)C3(C(=C(C2(C3(Cl)Cl)Cl)Cl)Cl)Cl | |
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BIWJNBZANLAXMG-UHFFFAOYSA-N | |
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InChI=1S/C10H6Cl8/c11-3-1-2-4(5(3)12)9(16)7(14)6(13)8(2,15)10(9,17)18/h2-5H,1H2 | |
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Yes |
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| Common Name | Relationship | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Cis-chlordane | Isomer | ![]() |
| Trans-chlordane | Isomer | ![]() |
| General status |
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Insecticide | ||||||||||||||
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Organochloride insecticide; Cyclodiene insecticide | ||||||||||||||
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Technical chlordane may contain a large number of different compounds including chlordane isomers | ||||||||||||||
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Synthetic | ||||||||||||||
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Non systemic with contact, stomach and respiratory action. GABA-gated chloride channel antagonist. | ||||||||||||||
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57-74-9 | ||||||||||||||
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200-349-0 | ||||||||||||||
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13 | ||||||||||||||
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058201 | ||||||||||||||
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5993 | ||||||||||||||
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602-047-00-6 | ||||||||||||||
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409.78 | ||||||||||||||
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(1E,2E,3aE,4E,7E,7aE)-1,2,4,5,6,7,8,8-octachloro-2,3,3a,4,7,7a-hexahydro-4,7-methano-1H-indene | ||||||||||||||
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1,2,4,5,6,7,8,8-octachloro-2,3,3a,4,7,7a-hexahydro-4,7-methanoindene | ||||||||||||||
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1,2,4,5,6,7,8,8-octachloro-2,3,3a,4,7,7a-hexahydro-4,7-methano-1H-indene | ||||||||||||||
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Yes [ C5 Criterion 5: Pesticide active ingredients listed by the Stockholm Convention in its Annexes A and B, and those meeting all the criteria in paragraph 1 of Annex D of the Convention (those identified as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in annexes A or B of the Stockholm Convention) ; C6 Criterion 6: Pesticide active ingredients listed by the Rotterdam Convention in its Annex III (those subject to PIC (Prior Informed Consent) regulations under the Convention) ] |
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Yes [ R02 Rule 2: Pesticide active ingredients that meet the criteria of carcinogenicity Categories 1A and 1B of the Globally Harmonized System on Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) (those with a CLP classification of H350) ; R05 Rule 5: Pesticide active ingredients that are confirmed endocrine disruptors according to the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of an endocrine disruptor ; R06 Rule 6: Pesticide active ingredients listed by the Stockholm Convention in its Annexes A and B, and those meeting all the criteria in paragraph 1 of Annex D of the Convention (those identified as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in annexes A or B of the Stockholm Convention) ; R07 Rule 7: Pesticide active ingredients listed by the Rotterdam Convention in its Annex III (those subject to PIC (Prior Informed Consent) regulations under the Convention) ; R09 Rule 9: Pesticide active ingredients that have demonstrated a high aquatic toxicity (where acute ecotoxicity for fish, invertebrates or algae =< 0.1 mg l⁻¹) ; R10 Rule 10: Pesticide active ingredients that have demonstrated a high toxicity to bees (where contact or oral bee toxicity =< 2 μg bee⁻¹) ; R12 Rule 12: Pesticide active ingredients that are bioaccumulative (where bio-concentration factor (BCF) > 2000 l kg⁻¹ (if BCF is not available, where Log P >=5)) ] |
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PAN Bad Actor Chemical; LRTAP Annex I; Severe marine pollutant | ||||||||||||||
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Not applicable | ||||||||||||||
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Not applicable | ||||||||||||||
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2A | ||||||||||||||
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Not applicable | ||||||||||||||
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Blattella germanica, Conoderus falli, Ctenocephalides felis, Epitrix tuberis, Psilia rosae, plus others | ||||||||||||||
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Straw coloured viscous liquid in raw state but powder in product form | ||||||||||||||
| Commercial |
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Considered obsolete but may be available in some countries | |||
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Circa 1950, introduced; 1980s, widespread bans & restricted usage | |||
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Available in a variety of different formulations including enulsifiable concentrates, granules, dusts, wettable powders and oils. | |||
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Chlordane is produced commercially through the chlorination of chlordene, a cyclodiene hydrocarbon. In this process, chlordene undergoes further chlorination to yield chlordane. The manufacturing process involves controlled chlorination reactions in specialised reactors, followed by purification and formulation steps to produce the final pesticide product. | |||
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0.1 | G4 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 4 = Verified data |
Low | ||||||||
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Miscible | L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources Acetone3 = Unverified data of known source |
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| Miscible | L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources Ethanol3 = Unverified data of known source |
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| Miscible | L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources Cyclohexanone3 = Unverified data of known source |
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| Miscible | L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources Isopropanol3 = Unverified data of known source |
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106 | F4 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) 4 = Verified data |
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6.03 X 1002 | Calculated | - | |||||||
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2.78 | G4 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 4 = Verified data |
Moderate | ||||||||
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Soluble | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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Regulatory data - observed in metabolism and farm animal feeding studies | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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1.61 | F4 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) 4 = Verified data |
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Not applicable | Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source |
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| No dissociation | |||||||||||
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1.3 | G4 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 4 = Verified data |
Low volatility. If applied directly to plants or soil, drift is a concern & mitigation is advisable | ||||||||
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0.00039 | Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source |
Non-volatile | ||||||||
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| Degradation |
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365 | L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source |
Very persistent | |||||||
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Other sources: DT₅₀ approx 1 year - persistent (R2); 283 days to 3.8 years (R3); FAO state DT₅₀ = 4 years | ||||||||||
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26.6 | R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data |
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Published literature RL₅₀ range 2.3-76.0 days, 4 field crops, various matrices, n=4 | ||||||||||
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Stable | P2 P = Other non-EU, UK or US Governments and Regulators 2 = Unverified data of unknown source |
Stable | |||||||
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Not significant degradation route but rate increases in presence of other chemicals such as acetone | ||||||||||
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Stable | P2 P = Other non-EU, UK or US Governments and Regulators 2 = Unverified data of unknown source |
Stable | |||||||
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Not significant degradation route | ||||||||||
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As this parameter is not normally measured directly, a surrogate measure is used: ‘Photochemical oxidative DT₅₀’. Where data is available, this can be found in the Fate Indices section below. | ||||||||||
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| Soil adsorption and mobility |
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- | G3 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 3 = Unverified data of known source |
Non-mobile | |||||||
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20000 | ||||||||||
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| Fate indices |
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-0.77 | Calculated | Low leachability | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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5.35 X 10-03 | Calculated | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Estimated concentrations of chemicals with Koc values greater than 9995 ml g⁻¹ are beyond the scope of the regression data used in SCI-GROW development. If there are concerns for such chemicals, a higher tier groundwater exposure assessment should be considered, regardless of the concentration returned by SCI-GROW | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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High | Calculated | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Non-mobile | Calculated | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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8460 | F3 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) Whole body (Literature values log BCF range 4.3-4.4 (R3)3 = Unverified data of known source |
High potential | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Known soil metabolites |
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| Known groundwater metabolites |
None
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None
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| Terrestrial ecotoxicology |
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460 | F4 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) Rat4 = Verified data |
Moderate | ||||||||
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5 | G3 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) Rat3 = Unverified data of known source |
High | |||||||
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83 | L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources Colinus virginianus3 = Unverified data of known source |
High | ||||||||
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0.6 | K3 K = Research datasets (e.g. Pandora, Demetra; these datasets no longer available). Norman Ecotoxicology database. (click here ) Apis mellifera3 = Unverified data of known source |
High | |||||||
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| Aquatic ecotoxicology |
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0.09 | L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources Oncorhynchus mykiss3 = Unverified data of known source |
High | ||||||||
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0.59 | L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources Daphnia magna3 = Unverified data of known source |
Moderate | ||||||||
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0.07 | J3 J = Pesticide Action Network database (click here ) Daphnia magna LOEC3 = Unverified data of known source |
Moderate | ||||||||
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0.0029 | R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications Ceriodaphnia dubia NOEC 7 day4 = Verified data |
High | ||||||||
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0.01 | R3 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications Chironomus plumosus3 = Unverified data of known source |
High | ||||||||
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102.4 | F4 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) Crassostrea gigas4 = Verified data |
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| General |
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High (class III) | - | - | ||||||||
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460 | F4 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) Rat4 = Verified data |
Moderate | ||||||||
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200 | L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources Rabbit3 = Unverified data of known source |
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0.56 | L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources Rat3 = Unverified data of known source |
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List II | - | - | ||||||||
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Via inhalation and dermal absorption but exposure unlikely as substance obsolete Source: US EPA |
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May be absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, by inhalation and through the intact skin | ||||||||||
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Non-statutory WHO drinking water guideline 0.0002 mg l⁻¹ | B5 B = UK CRD and ACP Evaluation Documents / and other DEFRA (UK) documents; Also Chemicals Regulation Division, Health and Safety Executive (HSE), UK (click here ) UK EA QS database 20185 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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Excreted through the urine and faeces | G3 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 3 = Unverified data of known source |
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| Health issues |
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May cause mental confusion and convulsions IARC Group 2B carcinogen; CLP data - suspected carcinogen; US EPA - probable human carcinogen Possible liver & kidney toxicant Endocrine issues - Competitive binding to androgen receptors |
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| Handling issues |
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Prevent generation of mists Flammable Corrosive to some metals IMDG Transport Hazard Class 6.1 |
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Health: H302, H312, H351 Environment: H400, H410 |
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II (Moderately hazardous) | |||
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UN2996 | |||
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chlordane | ||
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chlordane | ||
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Chlordan | ||
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chlordane | ||
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clordano | ||
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clordano | ||
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chlordane | ||
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chlordan | ||
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chloordaan | ||
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| Record last updated: | 24/10/2025 |
| Contact: | aeru@herts.ac.uk |
| Please cite as: | Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D. and Green, A. (2016) An international database for pesticide risk assessments and management. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 22(4), 1050-1064. DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2015.1133242 |









