Organochlorines - History, Use and Toxicity
Insecticides are the pesticides used against insects. Organochlorines are class of synthetic organic insecticides . Organochlorines are chlorinated hydrocarbons and contains the elements carbon and chlorine. They have been used extensively from the 1940s through the 1960s. Bioaccumulation They break down slowly in the environment and accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals and they stay in the environment and food web long after the being applied (Bioaccumulation). OCs in Food Chain They have long chemical half-life (7-30 years), which makes them highly persistent. So, most people have organochlorine pesticides present in their bodies. It cause reproductive failure among birds. Organochlorine are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) . They act primarily by altering the movement of ions across the nerve cell membranes, thus changing the ability of the nerve to fire and interfere Na + and K + ion permeation. Examples 1. DDT First commercially produced in...