LINDANE BAN

A. 6802-A (Weisenberg, et al.)

S. 3938-A (Flanagan, et al.)

Summary

This bill would prohibit the sale, use, and prescription of Lindane to pregnant women or children under the age of 16 unless it is used for the treatment of scabies.

Explanation

Lindane is a dangerous pesticide commonly used in agriculture and as a treatment for head lice and scabies.

Absorption of Lindane’s chemical components into the skin, the digestive system, and the respiratory tract has resulted in seizures and occasionally death. Toxicology studies, confirmed by the World Health Organization, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have labeled Lindane as a possible carcinogen and possible endocrine disruptor.

The EPA categorizes Lindane as a persistent bioaccumulative toxic pollutant. This substance enters the environment in wastewater after its use as a shampoo or cream, and the EPA has guidelines on levels that can be present in drinking water. However, wastewater treatment plants cannot successfully remove Lindane, which means that the pollutant can eventually reach ground and surface water, and must instead be controlled at the source.

According to a study done by the Los Angeles County Department of Sanitation, one dose of a Lindane treatment for head lice can pollute six million gallons of water. California banned the use of Lindane in 2002 due in part to water quality concerns. Since the ban went into effect, Lindane concentrations in wastewater have declined significantly in the state. 

Safer alternatives to Lindane are readily available, and the risks to children and the environment far outweigh any benefit of the pollutant’s continued use.

Environmental Advocates of New York supports this bill.