Supporters of the ban are also pushing for the Environmental Protection Agency to impose a national ban on lindane. Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports , began urging the FDA to remove the drug from the market back in 1983. Furthermore, lindane is bad for the environment. It washes down the drain to waste water treatment plants and passes through to downstream creeks, rivers, lakes, and oceans since it is not removed well by the treatment plants. A single treatment of lindane has the potential to pollute six million gallons of water.
Pediculosis is another name for an infestation of head lice.
Each year, head lice afflicts millions of children and adults, with many cases being detected about this time of year as school begins and children are suddenly in tighter quarters. The lice reproduce quickly, with a newborn reaching maturity within 10 days. Eggs also hatch in about 10 days. Researchers today do not believe lice carry disease. But many children are hurt or exposed to potential injuries through the use of unsafe products designed to kill the lice.