18 February 2022 Bulletin

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Hexachlorobenzene

Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), is a chlorocarbon with the molecular formula C₆Cl₆. [1] It is a fully chlorinated industrial hydrocarbon chemical, which is insoluble in water, but is very soluble in fat, oils, and organic solvents. Hexachlorobenzene is one of the most persistent environmental pollutants, and bioaccumulates in the environment, in animals, and in humans. It is not currently manufactured as a commercial product in the United States, and virtually all commercial production ended in the late 1970s. However, some hexachlorobenzene is produced as a by-product or impurity in the manufacture of chlorinated solvents and other chlorinated compounds, including several pesticides currently in use (pentachloronitrobenzene, chlorothalonil, Dacthal®, picloram, pentachlorophenol, atrazine, simazine, and lindane). [2] HCB has been banned globally under the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants. [1]

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