Organochlorine Pesticides (OCPs)

also see organochlorines, health/low dose, and mixtures effects

Representatives of the group are chlordane, benzene hexachloride ( BHC), DDT, DDD, DDE. dicofol, 2,4,5-T, aldrin, Chlorobenziate, , Chloro propylate, diazinon, dieldrin, eldrin, endosufan, endrin, Isobenzan, Isodrin, heptachlor, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), kepone,  lindane, toxaphene, methoxychlor, mirex, pentachlorophenol, quintozene.  These are persistent, bio-accumulative pesticides. Many have been banned. Many are still in use such as 2,4-D, atrazine, dicamba, mecoprop, picloram and many more. 

Organochlorine pesticides, their toxic effects on living organisms and their fate in the environment (Interdisciplinary toxicology, 17 May 2017)

Study of Chemical Mixtures at Low Concentrations Again Finds Adverse Health Effects    (Beyond Pesticides, April 10, 2024) Researchers in a 2024 Chemosphere study find synergistic relationships in certain chemical mixtures, particularly heptachlor and triallate and trifluralin and lindane at lower concentrations, respectively.... “According to a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) assessment, more than 50 pesticides are detected in blood or urine samples from the US population,” Researchers point to a cause for concern.... Researchers “used the exposure data from a complex operating site with legacy pesticide pollution.   “Only volatile COPCs... in soil and groundwater were included in this study (triallate, trifluralin, lindane, heptachlor, dieldrin, and aldrin,” the researchers indicate in the Methods section. Quantitative risk assessment for pesticide exposure was rooted on oral exposure... which demands a higher dose to induce an identifiable adverse effect relative to inhalation exposure. In other words, using an oral reference dose may underestimate the potential risk.    Researchers did find values suggesting “significant health concerns” to toddlers, infants, teenagers, and adults in “commercial and industrial land use.”... “Nine of the 15 tested binary mixtures of pesticides synergistically reduced cell viability. Seven mixtures (Trifluralin/Heptachlor, Trifluralin/Aldrin, Lindane/Heptachlor, Lindane/Aldrin, Heptachlor/Dieldrin, Heptachlor/Aldrin and Dieldrin/Aldrin) were synergistic at higher concentrations. However, two mixtures of herbicides and OCPs (organochlorine pesticides) (Trifluralin/Lindane and Triallate/Heptachlor) interacted synergistically at lower concentrations'.

SNAP Comment: All the pesticides listed were historically registered in Canada except dieldrin and two still are:trifluralin and triallate. 'There are 23,078 federal sites listed in the FCSI maintained by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, including 5,337 active contaminated sites and 2,355 suspected sites. 15,386 are listed as closed because remediation is complete or because no action was necessary following assessment.' Inventory of federal contaminated sites.    'Research shows adverse health effects most likely occur within a 1.8 mile boundary around a Superfund site.' Millions of Americans Live Near Toxic Waste Sites. How Does This Affect Their Health?(February 16, 2022)