Heptachlor is an organochlorine pesticide that was mostly used to control termites in residences as well as businesses. It also has been used as insecticide on food and seed grain crops, especially on corn. Heptachlor is a persistent organic pollutant (POP) that can be found in the soil and water many years after application of the chemical. It binds strongly to soil particles and sediment and agricultural runoff pollutes the surface waters. Plants can take up heptachlor from the soil and thus animals and humans eating those plants can be affected by contaminated plants, i.e. heptachlor bioaccumulates. Heptachlor is metabolized in animas to heptachlor epoxide, a chemical that shares many of the hazards of the parent compound but is even more stable and persistent in the environment. Both heptachlor and the epoxide can be found in human breast milk due to environmental pollution. Today, although dangers are known and heptachlor has been banned for agricultural use in more than 60 countries, it is still used for fire ant control inside power transformers and for termite control.
Lab name:
Common molecules
Sample provider:
Obtained courtesy of the Cambridge Structural Database
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