Task force pushes for lindane bane

Alaska at risk from deadly pesticide

By DANIEL SPOTH-Frontiersman reporter

ANCHORAGE -- Thirty public health, indigenous, and conservation organizations presented a declaration in support of a continent-wide ban on the toxic pesticide lindane to the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation Task Force on Lindane Feb. 12. This resolution was presented as part of the Alaska Forum on the Environment being held in Anchorage.

Lindane, a long-lasting insecticide already banned by 17 countries, is a strong neurotoxin and is suspected of also being a carcinogen. It is highly toxic to aquatic invertebrates, fish and insects (both harmful and beneficial). It is a potential endocrine disrupter in birds, mammals and fish.

Lindane usage is of particular interest to Alaska residents owing to the chemical's long period of persistence in the environment and its ability to travel long distances via atmospheric and oceanic currents to the Arctic and Sub-Arctic.

"A ban of this chemical is long overdue," said Kristin Shafer, program coordinator for the Pesticide Action Network North America. "Its use anywhere in the world threatens people and the environment in the Arctic region."

Rosemarie Lombardi, environmental specialist with the State Pesticide Program, said, "All of the Arctic environments are at risk due to the atmospheric and oceanic currents." Since air and water from around the world migrate to Arctic regions, Alaska often has to suffer the effects of environmental pollution elsewhere in the states.

Much progress has already been made toward banning the chemical in Alaska. Already, it is impossible to sell or distribute lindane within the state, and the task force is concentrating on eliminating the remaining amounts. The job is complicated by the fact that quantities of lindane may still exist unbeknownst to regulating bodies in outlying Alaska communities, where it can damage flora and fauna used by homesteaders for subsistence.

Pamela Miller of the Alaska Community Action on Toxins calls lindane "the most pervasive pesticide in Arctic air and water." Miller also said that "indigenous peoples of the north who rely on traditional diets of marine mammals and fish are particularly at risk from lindane exposure through foods."

Lindane has been used by Alaska in the past to treat spruce bark beetle infestations. Though Lombardi said this practice is no longer in use, and that only about 2 1/2 gallons of lindane are available in the greater Anchorage area, outdated products containing the chemical may still persist in homes and businesses.

According to Lombardi, lindane is a particular risk owing to its persistence once it enters the environment, especially its ability to be transported by both air and water. "It kind of hitchhikes around the globe," she said.

One dose of a lindane treatment for head lice can pollute six million gallons of water, causing it to exceed current drinking water standards for pollutants. California banned shampoos containing lindane in 2002.

More than 120 organizations and prominent individuals in Mexico have signed a public letter to ban lindane, according to Mindahi Crescencio Bastida-Munoz, president of the Mexican organization Consejo Mexicano para el Desarrollo Sustenable.

In days to come, the task force hopes to gather enough signatures and other public support to pursue government action on a lindane ban. Until this time comes, Alaska residents can only scrutinize the active ingredients list on their household chemicals bottles and wait.

Contact Daniel Spoth at daniel.spoth@frontiersman.com.