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Toxaphene

Toxaphene
Toxaphen.svg
Names
Other names
Chlorocamphene, Octachlorocamphene, Polychlorocamphene, Chlorinated camphene
Identifiers
3D model (Jmol)
ECHA InfoCard 100.029.348
KEGG
Properties
Density 1.65 g/cm3
Melting point 65 to 90 °C (149 to 194 °F; 338 to 363 K)
Boiling point decomposition at 155 °C (311 °F; 428 K)
0.0003% (20°C)
Vapor pressure 0.4 mmHg (25°C)
Hazards
Flash point noncombustible
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
LD50 (median dose)
75 mg/kg (oral, rabbit)
112 mg/kg (oral, mouse)
250 mg/kg (oral, guinea pig)
50 mg/kg (oral, rat)
2000 mg/m3 (mouse, 2 hr)
US health exposure limits (NIOSH):
PEL (Permissible)
TWA 0.5 mg/m3 [skin]
REL (Recommended)
Ca [skin]
IDLH (Immediate danger)
200 mg/m3
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Infobox references

Toxaphene was an insecticide used primarily for cotton in the southern United States during the late 1960s and 1970s. Toxaphene is a mixture of over 670 different chemicals and is produced by reacting chlorine gas with camphene. It can be most commonly found as a yellow to amber waxy solid.

Toxaphene was banned in the United States in 1990 and was banned globally by the . It is a very persistent chemical that can remain in the environment for 1–14 years without degrading, particularly in the soil.

Testing performed on animals, mostly rats and mice, has demonstrated that toxaphene is harmful to animals. Exposure to toxaphene has proven to stimulate the central nervous system, as well as induce morphological changes in the thyroid, liver, and kidneys.

Toxaphene has been shown to cause adverse health effects in humans. The main sources of exposure are through food, drinking water, breathing contaminated air, and direct contact with contaminated soil. Exposure to high levels of toxaphene can cause damage to the lungs, nervous system, liver, kidneys, and in extreme cases, may even cause death. It is thought to be a potential carcinogen in humans, though this has not yet been proven.

Toxaphene is a synthetic organic compound composed of over 670 chemicals, formed by the chlorination of camphene (C10H16) to an overall chlorine content of 67–69% by weight. The bulk of the compounds (mostly chlorobornanes, chlorocamphenes, and other bicyclic chloroorganic compounds) found in toxaphene have chemical formulas ranging from C10H11Cl5 to C10H6Cl12, with a mean formula of C10H10Cl8. The formula weights of these compounds range from 308 to 551 grams/mole; the theoretical mean formula has a value of 414 grams/mole. Toxaphene is usually seen as a yellow to amber waxy solid with a piney odor. It is highly insoluble in water but freely soluble in aromatic hydrocarbons and readily soluble in aliphatic organic solvents. It is stable at room temperature and pressure. It is volatile enough to be transported for long distances through the atmosphere.


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Wikipedia

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