2. RELEVANCE TO PUBLIC HEALTH 2.1 BACKGROUND AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES TO TOXAPHENE IN THE UNITED STATES Toxaphene is a manufactured pesticide comprising a complex mixture of hundreds of chlorinated

Toxaphene is a manufactured pesticide comprising a complex mixture of hundreds of chlorinated terpenes. After DDT was banned from use in the United States in 1972, toxaphene became the most popular substitute. Control of pests on cotton crops was the principal use of toxaphene in the United States, although the pesticide was used to control a variety of insects on a range of crops and to eradicate undesirable fish species in some aquatic environments. In November of 1982, EPA canceled the registration of toxaphene for most uses as a pesticide or pesticide ingredient. All registered uses of toxaphene mixtures in the United States and its territories were canceled in 1990.