What is the history of chlordanes use?
Chlordane was used extensively as an insecticide in the U.S., from its introduction in 1947, through the 1980s. The most common use of chlordane was for termite control. It was poured or injected around foundations to protect homes and buildings from termite damage. Its use was especially high in areas where termites caused structural damage, such as the southern U.S. It was also used to kill insects in the soil, to prevent them from damaging food crops, gardens and turf, and was used as an herbicide to control weeds in turf. Another use was to prevent fire ants from building nests in power transformers. Chlordane’s use on food crops was canceled in 1978 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Its use for protection of buildings and power transformers continued for another 10 years. In 1988, all commercial and domestic use of chlordane in the U.S. was banned by the EPA. Why was chlordane use banned? Laboratory mice that were fed chlordane over long periods of time had a high
