Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2013C00288:reg:1:p1
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2013C00288
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 1 (pt 1/7)
Character Range: 2455292–2458285

1                   DDT+DDE+DDD Review

1.1              General
Several comprehensive reviews of DDT, DDE and DDD in the environment and their toxicity to humans are available and should be consulted for more detailed information (ATSDR 2002, 2008; WHO 1979;1989). The following provides a summary of the key aspects of these compounds that are relevant to the derivation of a soil HIL.

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD) are structurally similar aromatic compounds containing chlorine. Technical DDT was manufactured for broad-spectrum insecticidal usage under a number of trade names including Genitox, Anofex, Detoxan, Neocid, Gesarol, Pentachlorin, Dicophane and Chlorophenothane. Limited manufacture of DDD also occurred under the trade names Rothane, Dilene and TDE (ATSDR 2002).

These compounds are all white crystalline solids with relatively no odour or taste. They are relatively insoluble in water but highly soluble in animal fats and organic solvents (WHO 1979). All three compounds (DDT, DDE, DDD) can exist in different forms (congeners) based on the relative position of chlorines on the two phenyl rings, but the p,p'- congener is the most common in the environment (ATSDR 2002).

DDT was primarily manufactured as an insecticide for the agricultural industry. It was also used to control vector-borne diseases such as malaria and typhus and was used in a domestic setting to protect items from moth damage and to control lice (ATSDR 2002). The widespread usage of DDT reportedly began in 1939. However, it has been progressively banned in many countries since the early 1970s due to its effects on human health and the environment (ATSDR 2002). DDT is still used in some developing regions for the control of disease-bearing insects and it may also be illegally used in the agriculture industry in some countries (WHO 1979). DDT has not been registered for any use in Australia since the 1980s (NHMRC & NRMMC 2011). DDD was manufactured and used to a lesser extent to control insects and the o,p'-isomer was used to medically treat adrenal gland cancer. DDE has no commercial use (ATSDR 2002).
DDT and its metabolites are essentially immobile in soil, becoming strongly absorbed onto the surface layer of soils. Likewise, as a consequence of their extremely low water solubilities, DDT and its metabolites become absorbed onto particulates in water and settle into sediments. Because of its chemical characteristics, DDT can undergo long-range transport through the atmosphere in a process known as 'global distillation' where DDT migrates from warmer regions to colder regions through repeated cycles of volatilisation from soil and water surfaces followed by deposition of DDT onto surfaces through dry and wet deposition processes. Due to the persistence of DDT and its metabolites in the environment, potential for bioaccumulation and potential for long-range transport, DDT is listed