US EPA

On September 22, 2009, the IRIS Summary and Toxicological Review of chlordecone was finalized and loaded onto the IRIS database. The Toxicological Review of chlordecone was reviewed internally by EPA, by other federal agencies and White House Offices, by expert external peer reviewers, and by the public. In the new IRIS process, introduced by the EPA Administrator, all written comments on IRIS assessments submitted by other federal agencies and White House Offices will be made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments and the interagency draft of the chlordecone IRIS assessment are posted on this site.

The draft Toxicological Review of chlordecone provides scientific support and rationale for the hazard identification and dose-response assessment pertaining to chronic exposure to chlordecone. Chlordecone is a chlorinated insecticide which was used mainly as a fungicide and insecticide to control slugs, snails, and fire ants. According to the CERCLA database, chlordecone is found at 3 National Priority List (NPL) Superfund sites. Intoxication occurred in over a hundred workers at a Hopewell, Virginia, chlordecone manufacturing plant in the late 1970s. Effects observed in the workers following this accident included tremors, liver enlargement, and oligospermia (low semen volume). Registration was cancelled in 1978.

The draft Toxicological Review of chlordecone provides scientific support and rationale for the hazard identification and dose-response assessment pertaining to chronic exposure to chlordecone.

The assessment has been finalized and loaded onto the IRIS database.

U.S. EPA. IRIS Toxicological Review of Chlordecone (Interagency Science Discussion Draft). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., 2009.