In Situ Chemical Reduction (ISCR) for Removal of Kepone from Tropical Soils

Background/Objectives. The global use of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) such as Lindane, DDT, Dieldrin, Kepone, Chlordane and Toxaphene has resulted in long-term soil impacts at many sites. Given the potential risks to human health and the environment, some OCP-impacted sites require treatment. One example being the use of the insecticide Kepone (1,1a,3,3a,4,5,5,5a,5b,6-Decachlorooctahydro-2H-1,3,4-(methanetriyl)cyclobuta[cd]pentalen-2-one) on banana plantations until the late nineties in the French West Indies (FWI) islands (Caribbean) which has resulted in the contamination of drinking water supplies, bans on vegetables, fish and sea food consumption and commercialization, and increased occurrence of prostate cancer. As in many other cases, the "dig-and-dump" approach is not practical here due to the magnitude of the problem, access issues, and/or resource constraints. Alternatively, "bioremediation" may potentially be used to treat the soils on site, often at lower costs, and certainly in a more sustainable manner. Unfortunately, most OCPs, notably kepone, are not amenable to conventional bioremediation technologies.