| Compound Name |
Mirex |
| Stockholm Annex code | I, IV |
| Key |
Annex I to the regulation are subject to prohibition (with specific exemptions) on manufacturing, placing on the market and use; Annex II to the regulation are subject to restriction on manufacturing, placing on the market and use; Annex III to the regulation are subject to release reduction provisions; and Annex IV to the regulation are subject to waste management provisions. Note that for some substances listed in Annex I, specific exemptions on the prohibition of their use, manufacturing and placing on the market may apply. |
| Classification |
Intentional |
| Category |
Listed under Annex A |
| Year of Listing Decision |
2001 |
| Persistence |
It has a half life of 12 years in soil |
| Specific exemptions associated with its use |
Production: None |
| Acceptable purposes associated with its use |
Was used as a pesticide to control fire ants Used as a flame retardant additive (known as Dechlorane it does not burn easily) in electrical goods rubber, paint, paper, and plastics. |
| Conventions on POPs |
Stockholm Convention Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Rotterdam Convention Basel Convention |
| Name |
Mirex |
| Synonyms |
MIREX Perchloropentacyclodecane Dechlorane Perchlorodihomocubane 1,1a,2,2,3,3a,4,5,5,5a,5b,6-Dodecachlorooctahydro-1H-1,3,4-(methanetriyl)cyclobuta[cd]pentalene Dodecachloropentacyclodecane Dodecachlorooctahydro-1,3,4-metheno-1H-cyclobuta(cd)pentalene 1,1a,2,2,3,3a,4,5,5,5a,5b,6-DODECACHLOR-OCTAHYDRO-1,3,4-METHENO-1H-CYCLOBUTA( CD)PENTALEN 1,3,4-Metheno-1H-cyclobuta[cd]pentalene, dodecachlorooctahydro- Dodecachlorooctahydro-1,3,4-metheno-2H-cyclobuta[cd]pentalene |
| Structure | Cl)Cl)Cl)Cl)(Cl)Cl)Cl)Cl)Cl)Cl)Cl.png)
Molecular Formula:
C10Cl12
|
| CAS Number | 2385-85-5 |
| European Community (EC) Number | 219-196-6 |
| European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) | 219-196-6 |
| PubChem ID | 16945 |
| DSSTOX Substance ID | DTXSID7020895 |
| KEGG | C14184 |
| ChemSpider |
16054 21117705 |
| Description | Reference | Article Link |
|---|---|---|
| Mirex was introduced in 1959, primarily as a stomach poison against ants. Mirex is the only cyclodiene pesticide that also has an industrial application as the flame retardant Dechlorane. A considerable portion of environmental contamination was caused by this application. A derivative of mirex, chlordecone, is also a pesticide. Although large amounts of mirex were used to control fire ants in the southeastern United States, the amount of mirex used as flame retardant was four times larger. Over 90% of mirex produced in the United States was exported to Latin America, Europe, and Africa. The production of mirex in the United Sates was discontinued in 1976. | Zitko. 2002. Chlorinated Pesticides: Aldrin, DDT, Endrin, Dieldrin, Mirex. | Link |
| Mirex is a white crystalline odorless solid insecticide commonly used against ants and termites. On direct exposure, it does not cause injury to humans but studies showed its carcinogenic nature. It is also used in plastics, rubber, and electrical goods and most stable pesticide with a half-life of up to 10 years. It can enter the human body through inhalation, ingestion, and skin but the main route of human contact is through food, meat, fish, and wild game. It is very toxic to several plant species, fish, and crustaceans and may induce persistent chronic physiological and biochemical disorders in various vertebrates. It is an endocrine disruptor and affects ovulation, pregnancy, endometrial growth, and may induce liver cancer in female rodents. | Thakur and Pathania. 2020. Environmental fate of organic pollutants and effect on human health. | Link |
| Mirex is an organochloride that was commercialized as an insecticide and later banned because of its impact on the environment. This white crystalline odorless solid is a derivative of cyclopentadiene. It was popularized to control fire ants but by virtue of its chemical robustness and lipophilicity it was recognized as a bioaccumulative pollutant. The spread of the red imported fire ant was encouraged by the use of Mirex, which also kills native ants that are highly competitive with the fire ants. The United States Environmental Protection Agency prohibited its use in 1976. | Wikipedia: Mirex. Accessed 13 October 2020 | Link |
| Mirex, a chlorinated insecticide, is the active ingredient in bait used to control the imported fire ant (Solenopsis spp.). First prepared by Prins in 1946 from the dimerization of hexachlorocyclopentadiene in the presence of aluminum chloride (AlCl,) and carbon tetrachloride, mirex was first patented in 1955 and subsequently introduced in 1959 by the Allied Chemical Corporation as GC-1283 for use in pesticidal formulations. Although principally used as a pesticide, mirex is also marketed under the trade name Dechlorane for use in flame-retardant coatings for various materials. | Waters et al., 1977. Mirex. An overview | Link |