Description
Dieldrin is an organochlorine insecticide that is now banned in the U.S., but is highly persistent and still present in the environment. It was used in agriculture on cotton, corn and citrus crops, for public health to control diseases carried by insects, such as mosquitoes and tsetse flies, for termites, and as a wood preservative. The peak of dieldrin’s production occurred from the 1950s to the early 1970s. Dieldrin also forms as a breakdown product of aldrin, a similar organochlorine pesticide. Although dieldrin was banned in 1985 for nearly all uses in the U.S., aldrin’s use continued for termite control until 1987.
Dieldrin is considered a persistent organic pollutant (POP), which tend to remain in the environment and in the fatty tissue of animals for long periods of time and can travel long distances.
Health Effects
Immediate Health Effects
- If SWALLOWED, dieldrin is Very Highly Toxic
- If ABSORBED THROUGH SKIN, dieldrin is Very Highly Toxic
- If INHALED (SNIFFED OR BREATHED IN), dieldrin is Very Highly Toxic
Longterm or Delayed Health Effects
- This chemical is likely to cause cancer. It is considered a Probable Carcinogen by the World Health Organization, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or another agency.
- Neurotoxin = Can harm brain and central nervous system
- Suspected Endocrine Disruptor = May interfere with, mimic or block hormones
Other
- Immune suppression.
- Reproductive effects, including reduced fertility; reduced testosterone levels; delay in the descent of testicles.
- Neurological effects, such as depression; anxiety; irritability.
- Cancer: There is mixed evidence for association with breast cancer and breast cancer survival from several recent studies. However, most of the data in humans is considered inadequate. Dieldrin causes cancer in 7 different strains of laboratory mice.
How Exposures Occur
Breast Milk
- Dieldrin is often present in breast milk. However, the benefits for babies from breast feeding outweigh the risks of dieldrin exposure. Breastfed babies are healthier than those who are bottle-fed; they experience fewer allergies, respiratory illnesses, and skin problems. In its 1997 policy statement, Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk, the American Academy of Pediatrics highly recommends breast feeding for all infants for one year.
Food
- Low levels of dieldrin can be found in fish, meat, dairy products, and vegetables, in particular root vegetables, squash, melons and cucumbers. Since dieldrin is absorbed into the pulp of root vegetables, squash, melons and cucumbers, washing and peeling these vegetables doesn’t reduce exposure.
Children and adults primarily ingest dieldrin from meat and dairy products. However, the highest levels of dieldrin are found in squash.
Fumes in Older Homes
- Homes that had been treated with dieldrin even two decades ago may still emit dieldrin fumes that can be inhaled by children. Since the pesticide penetrates deeply into the structure of a home, it can be difficult to eliminate.
Significant Statistics
Dieldrin was one of 12 pesticides that accounted for most of the risk in individual food items.
Groth, E., C.M. Benbrook, and K. Lutz. Update: Pesticides in Children’s Food, an Analysis of 1998 USDA PDP Data on Pesticide Residues. Consumers Union, May 2000.
http://www.consumersunion.org/food/pdpdc600.htm
Peak production of dieldrin in the U.S. occurred in the mid-1960s and is estimated at about 20 million pounds per year. Aldrin/dieldrin ranked second—after DDT—among agricultural chemicals used in the U.S.in the 1960s.
Dieldrin showed up in almost three-quarters of the frozen U.S. squash tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and reported on by Consumers Union.
Do You Know What You’re Eating? An Analysis of U.S. Government Data on Pesticide Residues in Foods. Consumers Union, February 1999.http://www.consumersunion.org/food/do_you_know2.htm
Solutions
How to detect dieldrin
- Food: There is no way for parents to determine exactly how much dieldrin is in their children’s food. The primary source of dieldrin in food is meat and dairy products. Squash, root vegetables, cucumbers and melons may also contain unsafe levels. Freshwater fish may also contain dieldrin. You can get a rough idea of the fruits and vegetables that may contain dieldrin from:
The Environmental Working Group’s Report Card: Pesticides in Produce
Do You Know What You’re Eating? by Consumers Union
Consumers Union’s May 2000 Update on Pesticides in Children’s Food
- To detect dieldrin residues in homes that may have been treated with it, air sampling by an accredited expert, such as an industrial hygienist, is recommended.
How to minimize exposure to dieldrin
- It is difficult to eliminate dieldrin residues from homes that have been treated with dieldrin because the chemical typically becomes embedded in the structure.
Alternatives
- Eat a balanced diet, with plenty of fruits and vegetables and a moderate level of low-fat meats and dairy products.
Choose certified organic foods, when possible, as they have not been treated with pesticides. A good place to start is with 10 Fruits and Vegetables to Buy Organic.
- Reduce dietary fat to decrease dieldrin intake. Remove fat from meat as well as skin on chicken and fish, before cooking. Use cooking methods such as broiling, which allows fat to drip away from the food.
- Consumer Reports recommends avoiding consumption of U.S. frozen winter squash due to high pesticide residue levels.
- Peeling and washing of melons, cucumbers, squash and other vegetables will not significantly reduced the level of dieldrin residue, because this pesticide is absorbed into the flesh.
For More information
Books, articles, factsheets and reports
Do You Know What You're Eating? An Analysis of U.S. Government Data on Pesticide Residues in Foods. Consumers Union, February 1999.
http://www.consumersunion.org/food/do_you_know2.htm
Nowhere to Hide: Persistent Toxic Chemicals in the U.S. Food Supply. Pesticide Action Network North America, 2000.
http://www.igc.org/panna/resources/documents/nowhereToHideAvail.dv.html
Pesticides in Baby Food. Environmental Working Group, 1995.
http://www.ewg.org/reports/Baby_food/baby_home.html
Report Card: Pesticides in Produce. Environmental Working Group, October 2003.
http://www.foodnews.org/reportcard.php
Other government agencies
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Pesticide Programs
1200 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington DC 20460
202-260-2090
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
5100 Paint Branch Parkway
College Park, MD 20740-3835
888-463-6332
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov
Nonprofit organizations
Environmental Working Group
1718 Connecticut Ave. NW Suite 600
Washington DC 20009
http://www.ewg.org
Pesticide Action Network North America
49 Powell St. Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-981-1771
http://www.panna.org
Other websites
Our Stolen Future
http://www.ourstolenfuture.org
Healthy Babies, Healthy Milk
http://www.nrdc.org/breastmilk/default.asp
E.Hormone - Your Gateway to the Environment and Hormones
http://e.hormone.tulane.edu/
Pesticide Action Network Pesticide Advisor
http://www.panna.org/resources/advisor.dv.html
