Termiticide use and indoor air quality in the United States

Organochlorine insecticides have been used extensively for the past 35 yr to reduce termite damage. The USEPA estimates that chlordane and heptachlor have been used in 24 million homes in the US. The pollution of air inside dwellings is a growing concern in the US because the population at risk includes the young and aged. Those exposed to pollutants in the home may be exposed for 24 hr instead of the usual 8 hr a day in the work place. Many of the halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons have been used as pesticides and have been reported as air contaminants inside buildings. Most of these chemicals are lipophilic, ubiquitous in the environment, and persistent. A number of chemicals found in indoor air have been reported to cause human health effects and some are carcinogenic. Many studies have been conducted using a variety of air samplers inside dwellings to determine levels of termiticides in indoor air. These include the Greenburg-Smith impinger, nylon chiffon screens, polyurethane foam plug samplers, and a Millipore miniature vacuum pump with a sampling tube containing Chromosorb 102 as the collecting medium. Chlordane and heptachlor have been widely used as termiticides and both have been implicated as serious problems. The US Air Force experienced several instances of contamination of houses with airborne chlordane following termite treatment, and numerous other studies have shown the magnitude of the problem. Because of increased instances of indoor air contamination, several new alternatives have been developed for termite control to reduce the potential for chemical exposure in indoor air of houses treated with termiticides. These new techniques include use of growth regulators and newer less hazardous chemicals.