The estimated half-life for the reaction of vapor phase lindane with atmospheric hydroxyl radicals is 1.63 days. Lindane may slowly biodegrade in aerobic media and will rapidly degrade under anaerobic conditions. Lindane has been reported to photodegrade in water in spite of the lack of a photoreactive center, but photolysis is not considered to be a major environmental fate process. Lindane will bioconcentrate slightly in fish. Monitoring data indicate that lindane is a contaminant in air, water, sediment, soil, fish and other aquatic organisms, wildlife, food, and humans.
Human exposure results primarily from food.
As the sole carbon source, lindane was found to support the growth of 71 of 147 microorganisms isolated from loamy sand. Chloride ion formation was noted in these cultures. The extent of lindane biodegradation by these pure cultures was not given . The absence of these products from sterilized soil treated with lindane was cited as evidence that the lindane metabolites resulted from biodegradation . This result was said to indicate that anaerobic degradation of lindane is more extensive than aerobic degradation .