United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water
4601
EPA 811-F-95-003 u-T
October 1995
National Primary Drinking
Water Regulations
Lindane
CHEMICAL/ PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
CAS NUMBER: 58-89-9
COLOR/ FORM/ODOR:
White crystalline solid
OCTANOL/WATER PARTITION (Kow):
Log Kow = 3.72 to 3.61
SOLUBILITY: 7.3 mg/L of water at 25° C;
Slightly soluble in water
SOIL SORPTION COEFFICIENT:
M.P.: 112.5° C B.P.: 323.4° C average Koc =1081; low soil mobility
VAPOR PRESSURE: 9.4x1 Or6 mm Hg @ 25° C ODOR/TASTE THRESHOLDS: N/A
4 '
DENSITY/SPEC. GRAV.: 1.85
BlOCONCENTRATION FACTOR:
319 to 1613 reported in fish; some
potential to bioaccumulate.
HENRY'S LAW COEFFICIENT: N/A
TRADE NAMES/SYNONYMS:
Benzene hexachloride-gamma, gamma-
Hexachlorocyclohexane, Exagamma,
Forlin, Gallogamma, Gammaphex,
Inexit, Kwell, Lindagranox, Lindaterra,
Lovigram, Silvanol
DRINKING WATER STANDARDS
MCLG: 0.0002 mg/L
MCL: . 0.0002 mg/L
HAL(child): 1 to 10 day: 1 mg/L
Longer term: 0.03 mg/L
EFFECTS SUMMARY
Acute: EPA has found lindane to potentially cause
nervous system effects from short-term exposures at
levels above the MCL. High body temperature and pul-
monary edema have been reported in children with acute
exposures.
Drinking water levels which are considered "safe" for
short-term exposures: For a 10-kg (22 Ib.) child consum-
ing 1 liter of water per day, a one- to ten-day exposure to
1 mg/L or a longer term exposure to 0.03 mg/L.
Chronic: Lindane has the potential to cause liver and
kidney damage from long-term exposure at levels above
the MCL
Cancer: There is inadequate evidence to state whether
or not lindane has the potential to cause cancer from
lifetime exposures in drinking water.
USAGE PATTERNS
Most uses being restricted in 1983, lindane is currently
ed primarily for treating wood-inhabiting beetles and
seeds. It is also used as a dip for livestock, for soil
(treatment, on the foliage of fruit and nut trees, vegetables,
limber, ornamentals and for wood protection.
RELEASE PATTERNS
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.
\
Data from the early 1980's reported mean loadings in
treated wastewater in kg/day as follows: coal mining -
0.0081, foundries - 0.02 and nonferrous metals manufac-
turing - 0.0004.
From 1987 to 1993, according to EPA's Toxics Re-
lease Inventory, lindane releases to land and water
totalled 1115 IDS.
ENVIRONMENTAL FATE
When released to water, lindane is not expected to
volatilize significantly. The volatilization half-life of lin-
dane from water at a depth of 1 meter was estimated to
be 115 to 191 days. However, experimental volatilization
half-life of lindane in very shallow, turbulent waters was
1.5 days.
It is not expected to bibdegrade or hydrolyze in most
surface waters. Lindane released to acidic or neutral
water is not expected to hydrolyze significantly, but in
basic water, significant hydrolysis may occur.
Transport to the sediment should be slow and result
predominantly from diffusion rather than settling. Lin-
dane may slowly biodegrade in aerobic media and will
rapidly degrade under anaerobic conditions. Lindane
has been reported to photodegrade in water in spite of the
lack of a photoreactive center, but photolysis is not
considered to be a major environmental fate process.
October 7995
Printed on Recycled Paper
-------
Release of lindane to soil will most likely result in
volatilization from the soil surface, but not from greater
depths. A mean Koc of 1080.9 was obtained from Koc
determinations on three soils(1). The average organic
carbon content of the soils used was 13%(1). Based on
this moderate Koc value and a water solubility of 17
ppm(2), lindane is expected to leach slowly to groundwa-
ter
Lindane in the atmosphere is likely to be subject to rain-
out and dry deposition. The estimated half-life for the
reaction of vapor phase lindane with atmospheric hy-
droxyl radicals is 1.63 days.
Lindane will bioconcentrate slightly in fish. Bioconcen-
tration factors of 16 to 1600 are reported for a variety of
molluscs, crustaceans and fish.
OTHER REGULATORY INFORMATION
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 > 0.00002 mg/L
METHOD NUMBERS
505; 508; 508.1; 525.2
ANALYSIS:
REFERENCE SOURCE
EPA 600/4-88-039
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
* 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
Technical Version
Page 2
------- |