This book evaluates the risks to human health and the environment posed by lindane, an isomer of hexachlorocyclohexane used, for more than 40 years, as a broad-spectrum insecticide. Although most lindane is used in agriculture for the treatment of seeds and soils, other important applications include the protection of wood and timber, the treatment of veterinary ectoparasites, and the treatment of scabies and body lice in humans. Whereas technical-grade hexachlorocyclohexane, which is far more hazardous, has been banned in most industrialized countries, lindane is approved for specific applications in almost all countries, with the notable exception of Japan. The opening section of this book discusses techniques for the detection and analysis of lindane and for the measurement of levels in soil and food. Subsequent sections summarize the substantial data on environment behaviour and metabolic fate, and explain how lindane enters both the acquatic and terrestrial food chains. Concerning sources and levels of human exposure, the report cites residues in food as responsible for more than 90% of human exposure, noting that populations throughout the world are exposed to lindane on a daily basis. The remaining sections evaluate toxic effects on organisms in the environment, the general population, and populations at special risk.