Lindane campaign

The severe restriction placed on the use of the endocrine disrupting chemical lindane is only a partial success according to the Lindane Campaign Group*. Lindane is already banned in many other European countries, and the Group is now stepping up measures to try and make sure it comes off the UK market.
    On 18 June Jeff Rooker, the then Food Safety Minister, announced measures to restrict the use of the insecticide. The move came following a review by the Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP) .
    The government concluded that approved uses of lindane do not constitute an unacceptable risk to consumers. However, the level of exposure of those treating seed with lindane was considered to be above acceptable levels, and Ministers therefore decided this activity should stop.
    Commenting on the restriction, Jeff Rooker said: “The Government has listened to concerns raised about lindane and has acted on the scientific findings.” He also said his ministry would be seeking further data on environmental  impacts.
    The Lindane Campaign Group has written to Mr Rooker congratulating him for the action he took in June. However the group is still concerned that lindane is widely available in DIY and gardening shops for use against garden pests. It is concerned that amateur users of this product will continue to apply this chemical whilst its fate to humans and the environment remains unclear.

*Members of the group: UNISON, the Pesticides Trust [now PAN UK], Women’s Environmental Network, Friends of the Earth, Soil Association and Green Network.

[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No.45, September 2000, page 15]