United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water
4601
EPA811-F-95-003CC-T
October 1995
National Primary Drinking
Water Regulations
Toxaphene
CHEMICAL/PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
CAS NUMBER: 8001-35-2
COLOR/ FORM/ODOR:
Amber waxy solid with a piney odor; a
mixture of polychlorinated compounds,
available as a dust, wettable powder, .
or as emulsifiable or oil solutions
M.P.: 65-90°C B.P.: Decomposes
VAPOR PRESSURE: 0.4 mm Hg at 25° C
OCTANOL/WATER PARTITION (Kow):
Log Kow = 3.3
DENSITY/SPEC. GRAV.: 1.65 at 25° C
SOLUBILITY: 3 mg/L of water at 22° C;
Slightly soluble in water
SOIL SORPTION COEFFICIENT:
Koc = 2.1x105; very low mobility in soil
ODOR/TASTE THRESHOLDS: Odor thresh-
old in water is 0.14 mg/L
BlOCONCENTRATION FACTOR:
BCFs of 3100 to 69,000 in fish; high
potential to bioconcentrate in aquatic
organisms.
HENRY'S LAW COEFFICIENT:
0.063 to 0.005 atm-cu m/mole; will
volatilize from water/soil
TRADE NAMES/SYNONYMS:
Chlorinated camphene,
Octachlorocamphene, Camphochlor,
Agricide Maggot Killer, Alltex, Crestoxo,
Compound 3956, Estonox, Fasco-
Terpene, Geniphene, Hercules 3956,
M5055, Melipax, Motox, Penphene,
Phenacide, Phenatox, Strobane-T,
Toxadust, Toxakil, Vertac 90%, Toxon
63, Attac, Anatox, Royal Brand Bean
Tox 82, Cotton Tox MP82, Security Tox-
Sol-6, Security Tox-MP cotton spray, .
Security Motox 63 cotton spray, Agro-
Chem Brand Torbidan 28, Dr Roger's
TOX-ENE
DRINKING WATER STANDARDS
MCLG: zero mg/L
MCL: 0.003 mg/L
HAL(child): none
HEALTH EFFECTS SUMMARY
Acute: EPA has found toxaphene to potentially cause
the following health effects from acute exposures at
levels above the MCL: central nervous system effects
including restlessness, hyperexcitability, tremors, spasms
or convulsions.
EPA has not set drinking water levels which are consid-
ered "safe" for short-term exposures.
Chronic: Toxaphene has the potential to cause the
following health effects from long-term exposures at
levels above the MCL: liver and kidney degeneration;
central nervous system effects; possible immune system
suppression.
Cancer: There is some evidence that toxaphene may
have the potential to cause cancer from a lifetime
exposure at levels above the MCL.
USAGE PATTERNS
Production of toxaphene in 1977 was nearly 40 million
pounds. By 1982, when EPA cancelled most of its uses,
consumption was reported at 12 million pounds.
Toxaphene was used as an insecticide for cotton
(50%), vegetables (17%), livestock and poultry (17%|
soybeans (12%), alfalfa, wheat and sorghum (5%).
All formulations are now Restricted Use Pesticides'
Special livestock formulations are available & recorrv.
mended for the control of scab mites or mange orjj
livestock. Rigo Toxaphene 6 has been registered for:
sicklepod control in AL, GA, MS, AR, NC, SC, & TN as
24(C) registrations for special local needs. Strobane T-
90 has a broad spectrum activity as stomach & contact
residual insecticide, & it has shown activity against sev-
eral species of worms, scab, mites, homflies, Nee &
mealybugs & major cotton insects. In the past, it has been
used as piscicide (fish toxicant) in lakes.
Other minor uses: for armyworms, cutworms, & grass-
hoppers; for mealybug & pineapple gummosis moth
control on pineapples & weevil control on bananas.
Conditional and restricted use as an insecticide and as a
miticide in foliar treatment of: cranberries, strawberries,
apples, pears, quinces, nectarines, peaches, bananas,
pineapple, eggplant, peppers, pimentos, tomatoes, broc-
coli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale,
kohlrabi, spinach, lettuce (head and leaf), parsnips, ruta-
bagas, beans (lima, green and snap), corn (sweet),
cowpeas, okra, alfalfa, barley, oats, rice, rye, wheat,
celery, cotton, horseradish, peanuts, peas, sunflowers,
soybeans, ornamental plants, birch, elm, hickory, maple
oak, and noncrop areas. Also used in seed crop foliar
October 1995
Technical Version
Printed on Recycled Paper
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treatment of clover and trefoil; In soil treatment of com; in
back rubber of beef cattle; in animal treatment of goats,
sheep, beef cattle, and hogs; and aerial application and
tank mixtures.
RELEASE PATTERNS
Toxaphene is released into the environment primarily
from its application as an insecticide for the protection of
cotton, mostly in southern states.
tial. Chickens fed 5,50, or 100 ppm toxaphene in the diet,
residues are detected in eggs and adipose tissue with a
BCF of about 5.
Monitoring data demonstrates that toxaphene is a
contaminant in some air, water, sediment, soil, fish and
other aquatic organisms, foods and birds. Human expo-
sure appears to come mostly from food or occupation
exposure.
ENVIRONMENTAL FATE
Toxaphene is very persistent. When released to soil it
will persist for long periods (1 to 14 yr), is not expected to
leach to groundwater or be removed significantly by
runoff unless adsorbed to clay particles which are re-
moved by runoff. Inwateritwill not appreciably hydrolyze,
photolyze, or significantly biodegrade. It will strongly sorb
to sediments.
Little information concerning biodegradation of toxa-
phene in aquatic systems was found in the literature.
However, it has been reported that the detoxification of
toxaphene was due to adsorption rather than by degra-
dation in 8 Wisconsin lakes. Degradation in aquatic
sediment was more significant under anaerobic than
aerobic conditions and oxidative as well as reductive
metabolism can be important in the degradation of toxa-
phene. Anaerobic conditions in sediments led to nearly
50% overall degradation of 3 main components of toxa-
phene; under aerobic conditions 13.6% degradation of
the 3 components was observed. Toxaphene is resistant
to degradation in soils with reported half-lives ranging
from 0.8 yrto 14 yr. 50% loss in 6 weeks due to biological
transformation in anaerobic, flooded soils was reported
while no transformation was found in aerobic sediments.
Evaporation from soils and surfaces will be a signifi-
cant process for toxaphene. Based on range of reported
Henry's Law constants the calculated range of the half-
life for evaporation of toxaphene from a model river is 6.0-
6.3 hr. Although toxaphene is strongly adsorbed to soil,
evaporation from soils may be a significant process.
Evaporation losses of from 7 to 14 kg/ha/yr or more have
been estimated from loam soil under annual rainfall of
150 cm. Field studies have shown it to be detoxified
rapidly in shallow and very slowly in deep bodies of water.
Toxaphene may undergo very slow direct photolysis in
the atmosphere. However vapor phase reactions with
photochemically produced hydroxyl radicals should be
more important fate process (estimated half-life 4-5 days).
Toxaphene can be transported long distances in the air
(1200 km) probably adsorbed to particular matter.
Bioconcentration factors (BCF) forfish - 3100 to 69,000;
for shrimp 400-1200; Algae - 6902; snails - 9600. These
BCF values indicated significant bioconcentration poten-
OTHER REGULATORY INFORMATION
••^••••M^^^H^M^^^^^^^^^M
MONITORING:
FOR GROUND/SURFACE WATER SOURCES:
INITIAL FREQUENCY- 4 quarterly samples every 3 years
REPEAT FREQUENCY- If no detections during initial round:
2 quarterly per year if serving >3300 persons;
1 sample per 3 years for smaller systems
TRIGGERS - Return to Initial Freq. if detect at > 0.001 mg/L
ANALYSIS:
REFERENCE SOURCE METHOD NUMBERS
EPA 600/4-88-039 505; 508; 525.2
TREATMENT:
BEST AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGIES
Granular Activated Charcoal
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
4 EPA can provide further regulatory and other general information:
• EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline - 800/426-4791
4 Other sources of lexicological and environmental fate data include:
• Toxic Substance Control Act Information Line - 202/554-1404
• Toxics Release Inventory, National Library of Medicine - 301/496-6531
• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry - 404/639-6000
• National Pesticide Hotline - 800/858-7378
October 1995
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