Lindane Water Treatment

What is Lindane and how is it used?

Lindane is a white crystalline organic solid that has been used both as an agricultural insecticide and as a pharmaceutical treatment for infestations of lice and scabies. Most uses for lindane were restricted in 1983. Lindane is currently used primarily for treating wood-inhabiting beetles and seeds. It is also used as a dip for fleas and lice on pets, and livestock, for soil treatment, on the foliage of fruit and nut trees, vegetables, timber, ornamentals and for wood protection. Lindane enters surface water as a result of runoff from agricultural land and from home and garden applications where it is used as an insecticide. The MCLG (Maximum Contaminant Level Goals) for lindane has been set at 0.2 parts per billion (ppb). The MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level) has been set at 0.2 ppb by the EPA

What are the Health Effects?

Short-term: EPA has found lindane to potentially cause the following health effects when people are exposed to it at levels above the MCL for relatively short periods of time: high body temperature and pulmonary edema.

Long-term: Lindane has the potential to cause the following effects from a lifetime exposure at levels above the MCL: liver and kidney damage.

How do I remove Lindane from my drinking water?

The recommended treatment method is Granular activated charcoal.