Endosulfan: Unveiling Sources, Toxicity, Risks, and Remediation Strategies

Narayanan, Neethu and Banerjee, Tirthankar and Khandelwal, Ashish and Singh, Neera (2025) Endosulfan: Unveiling Sources, Toxicity, Risks, and Remediation Strategies. In: Old and New Persistent Organic Pollutants. Taylor and Francis, Boca Raton, pp. 294-317. ISBN 9781003530466

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Abstract

Endosulfan, an organochlorine insecticide, was extensively used to control aphids, fruit worms, beetles, leafhoppers, moth larvae, and whiteflies on a wide variety of crops. However, it has been phased out globally due to its acute and chronic toxicity, potential for bioaccumulation, and role as an endocrine disruptor. The health effects of endosulfan include neurotoxicity, delayed sexual maturity, physical deformities, and poisoning. The degradation of its two isomers, α- and β-endosulfan, occurs in temperate and tropical soils and aquatic systems through both abiotic and biotic processes, although the rate of degradation is highly dependent on prevailing environmental conditions. Oxidation and hydrolysis are the major pathways for the degradation of endosulfan in soil. Endosulfan sulfate, the primary oxidative metabolite, is toxic and persists longer than its parent isomers. Hydrolysis of endosulfan leads to the formation of less toxic metabolites, including endosulfan diol, endosulfan lactone, and endosulfan ether. Widespread use of endosulfan during the 1980s and 1990s led to significant environmental contamination and human exposure. Remediation of endosulfan- and metabolite-contaminated soil and water can be achieved through both physico-chemical and biological methods. More than 80 countries have banned or announced the phase-out of endosulfan, while some countries still allow its restricted use.

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