Lindane
Lindane·Affects brain, liver, reproductive
A persistent organochlorine insecticide used for decades on crops, livestock, and as a treatment for lice and scabies. Banned for agricultural use in the United States in 2007 and globally restricted under the Stockholm Convention.
Lindane
EPA limit
0.0002 mg/L (MCL)
Most at risk
Rural well-water households in former application regions, residents near former seed-treatment facilities
Found in
City water · Well water
AquaOx filters
YesActivated coconut shell carbon
What it does to you
Health effects
Lindane is classified by the IARC as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), one of the more definitive carcinogen classifications applied to a pesticide. Epidemiological studies have associated chronic exposure with elevated rates of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The compound is a neurotoxin. Acute exposure causes headaches, dizziness, tremors, and convulsions. Chronic exposure damages the central nervous system, liver, and reproductive system. Lindane bioaccumulates in fatty tissue, crosses the placenta, and is excreted in breast milk.
Lindane is also linked to endocrine disruption. The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants added lindane in 2009 to the list of chemicals targeted for global elimination, reflecting concern about its persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. Most agricultural uses are banned globally, with a narrow pharmaceutical exception for lice and scabies treatment.
Where it comes from
How it gets into your water
Lindane was used for decades on grains, vegetables, livestock, and as a seed treatment, plus residential applications for lice and scabies. The EPA cancelled all agricultural uses in 2007 and restricted the pharmaceutical uses to second-line treatment.
The compound binds tightly to soil and degrades slowly, with a half-life measured in years. Legacy contamination from past seed-treatment facilities, livestock dipping vats, and grain storage continues to leach into groundwater. Atmospheric transport from regions where lindane is still used has also been documented as a contributor to background levels.
Public water systems drawing from rivers in former agricultural regions occasionally detect lindane.
Legacy seed-treatment sites
Pre-2007 grain and seed handling
Legacy crop and livestock applications
Persistent in former-use soil
Shallow groundwater
Common in former agricultural regions
Find out for yourself
Is it in your water?
Public utilities test for lindane and report results in their annual Consumer Confidence Report. Detections in city water are now rare but persist in regions with heavy historical use.
Private well owners in regions with former agricultural use, grain handling, or livestock dipping should consider testing for lindane as part of a broader organochlorine panel. These compounds (lindane, chlordane, heptachlor, endrin, toxaphene) often occur together.
The fix
How AquaOx filters it
Lindane is filtered efficiently by activated carbon. The coconut shell carbon stage in The AquaOx adsorbs lindane molecules as water passes through, with independent testing showing reductions above 95%.
For well-water households in regions with historical use, we recommend pairing The AquaOx with our FE Edition or RE Edition if iron or hydrogen sulfide is also present, and adding the under-sink RO for additional drinking-water polish.