Environmental Advocates of New York supports
this bill.Memo 46
A.4162 (Weisenberg, et al)
Summary
This bill bans the sale, use, and prescription of
any product containing hexachlorocyclohexane,
commonly known as Lindane.
Explanation
Lindane, a synthetic pesticide commonly used in
agriculture and as a treatment for head lice and
scabies, is extremely dangerous to those who come in
contact with it. It is particularly disturbing,
then, that one of the most common uses of Lindane is
to treat head lice on children. Absorption of
Lindane’s chemical components into the skin, the
digestive system and the respiratory tract has
resulted in seizures and, occasionally, death.
Toxicology studies have labeled Lindane a possible
carcinogen. The World Health Organization, the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the
federal Department of Health and Human Services have
confirmed these findings. Studies indicate that
farmers who use Lindane as an agricultural pesticide
have a significantly elevated risk of developing
non-Hodgkins lymphoma after exposure. Other recent
studies report elevated rates of childhood brain
cancer due to treatment with Lindane, even at
recommended doses.
Lindane is also toxic to the environment. The EPA
categorizes Lindane as a persistent, bioaccumulative,
toxic pollutant. It enters the environment in waste
water after use as a shampoo or cream. Waste water
treatment plants do not successfully remove Lindane,
meaning that it eventually can reach groundwater and
surface waterbodies. A California study found that
one dose of Lindane can pollute six million gallons
of water.
There is no reason not to ban Lindane. Safer
alternatives are available. The risks to children
and the environment far outweigh any conceivable
benefit of its use.
Environmental Advocates of New York supports
this bill.