What are organochlorines made of?
Organochlorines – They contain organic carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine. They include compounds such as: Diphenyl aliphatics – Compounds like DDT (dichlorodiphenyl trichloro ethane) and hexchlorocyclohexane.
Are organochlorines water soluble?
Organochlorine compounds usually have a large molecular mass. They are very stable. Generally, they are molecules of moderate polarity (low solubility in water). This makes OC easily soluble in fats.
What are organochlorine chemicals?
Organochlorine pesticides are chlorinated hydrocarbons used extensively from the 1940s through the 1960s in agriculture and mosquito control. Representative compounds in this group include DDT, methoxychlor, dieldrin, chlordane, toxaphene, mirex, kepone, lindane, and benzene hexachloride.
Are organochlorines unreactive?
Use of organochlorine compounds as insecticides Their structure makes them chemically unreactive, so they are stable in soils and in the fatty tissues of animals.
Why are organochlorines good pesticides?
The basic characteristics of organochlorine pesticides are high persistence, low polarity, low aqueous solubility and high lipid solubility.
How are organochlorines made?
Burning wastes, chlorine bleaching of pulp and paper, and some industrial processes can all create small quantities of dioxins. They may also be formed from natural sources such as forest fires. The pesticide DDT was commonly used to kill insects on farms and in homes. DDT is an organochlorine.
Why are organochlorines banned?
Although these compounds were widely used in the 1940s in large quantities, they were banned in developed countries in the 1970s because of their high persistence in the environment and their harmful effects in human health.
Are pyrethroids organochlorines?
Most other organochlorines (except chlordecone), as well as certain (type II) pyrethroids, block the chloride channels of the GABA-A receptor, and cause seizures.
Why are organochlorines used as pesticides?
Due to their low cost and the need against various pests, organochlorine insecticides such as DDT, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), aldrin and dieldrin are among the most widely used pesticides in developing countries of Asia (FAO, 2005; Gupta, 2004; Lallas, 2001).
What chemicals are organophosphates?
Organophosphate (OP) compounds are a diverse group of chemicals used in both domestic and industrial settings. Examples of organophosphates include the following: Insecticides – Malathion, parathion, diazinon, fenthion, dichlorvos, chlorpyrifos, ethion. Nerve gases – Soman, sarin, tabun, VX.
How do organochlorines work?
Organochlorine compounds work on insects by opening what’s known as the sodium ion channel in the neurons or nerve cells of insects, causing them to fire spontaneously. The insect will go into spasms and eventually die.
Are organochlorines toxic to humans?
Organochlorines are known for their high persistence and toxicity characteristics. These pesticides cause neurological damage, endocrine disorders, and have acute and chronic health effects.
Are organochlorines still used?
Since the early 1970s, the use of DDT and common organochlorine insecticides has been banned in the United States and Europe, but they are still manufactured and used in developing countries to control malaria-causing mosquitoes.
What are organochlorines used for?
Organochlorines (OC) are a group of chlorinated compounds widely used as pesticides. These chemicals belong to the class of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) with high persistence in the environment.
What are the properties of organophosphates?
Effective organophosphates have the following structural features: A terminal oxygen connected to phosphorus by a double bond, i.e. a phosphoryl group. Two lipophilic groups bonded to the phosphorus. A leaving group bonded to the phosphorus, often a halide.
What are organophosphate chemicals?
Organophosphates are a group of human-made chemicals that poison insects and mammals. Organophosphates are the most widely used insecticides today. They are used in agriculture, the home, gardens, and veterinary practice.