Kepone
Encyclopedia
Kepone, also known as chlordecone, is a carcinogen
ic insecticide
related to mirex
, used between 1966 and 1975 in the USA for ant and roach bait
s.
polycyclic ketone
insecticide and fungicide
with the chemical formula 1010. The dry powder is readily absorbed through the skin and respiratory tract. Some unprotected production workers exposed to kepone powder suffered tremors, jerky eye movements, memory loss, headaches, slurred speech, unsteadiness, lack of coordination, loss of weight, rash, enlarged liver, decreased libido, sterility, chest pain, arthralgia, and the increased risk of developing cancer. Kepone persists in the environment, with a half-life of about 30 years.
and caused a nationwide pollution controversy due to improper handling and dumping of the substance into the nearby James River
. In the United States, its use was banned in 1975. In 2009, kepone was included in the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants
, which bans its production and use worldwide.
In July 2003, a Richmond Magazine article chronicled the effects on Allied Signal employees and described how Dan Rather
and CBS's 60 Minutes
brought nationwide attention to the problem.
Due to the pollution scare, many businesses and restaurants along the river suffered, and then-Governor Mills Godwin Jr. shut down the James River to fishing from Richmond
to the Chesapeake Bay
.
is heavily contaminated with kepone, following years of unrestricted (including spray planes) use on banana
plantations. Despite a 1990 ban of the substance by France, the island was, after intensive lobbying by the economically powerful Béké
community, allowed to continue using kepone until 1993, under the since disputed argument that no alternative pesticide was available. Similarly, the nearby island of Guadeloupe
is also contaminated, but to a lesser extent. Since 2003, the local authorities restricted cultivation of crops because the soil has been seriously contaminated by kepone. That may correlate with the fact that Guadeloupe has one of the highest prostate cancer rates in the world.
Carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
ic insecticide
Insecticide
An insecticide is a pesticide used against insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against the eggs and larvae of insects respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and the household. The use of insecticides is believed to be one of the major factors behind...
related to mirex
Mirex
Mirex is a chlorinated hydrocarbon 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...
, used between 1966 and 1975 in the USA for ant and roach bait
Roach bait
Roach bait is a modern pest control alternative used for the extermination of cockroaches at indoor locations. The effectiveness of this method of pest control exploits the cannibalistic and coprophagic tendencies of cockroaches.- Mechanism :...
s.
Chemistry and toxicology
Chemically, kepone is a chlorinatedOrganochloride
An organochloride, organochlorine, chlorocarbon, chlorinated hydrocarbon, or chlorinated solvent is an organic compound containing at least one covalently bonded chlorine atom. Their wide structural variety and divergent chemical properties lead to a broad range of applications...
polycyclic ketone
Ketone
In organic chemistry, a ketone is an organic compound with the structure RCR', where R and R' can be a variety of atoms and groups of atoms. It features a carbonyl group bonded to two other carbon atoms. Many ketones are known and many are of great importance in industry and in biology...
insecticide and fungicide
Fungicide
Fungicides are chemical compounds or biological organisms used to kill or inhibit fungi or fungal spores. Fungi can cause serious damage in agriculture, resulting in critical losses of yield, quality and profit. Fungicides are used both in agriculture and to fight fungal infections in animals...
with the chemical formula 1010. The dry powder is readily absorbed through the skin and respiratory tract. Some unprotected production workers exposed to kepone powder suffered tremors, jerky eye movements, memory loss, headaches, slurred speech, unsteadiness, lack of coordination, loss of weight, rash, enlarged liver, decreased libido, sterility, chest pain, arthralgia, and the increased risk of developing cancer. Kepone persists in the environment, with a half-life of about 30 years.
History
Kepone was produced by Allied Signal Company in Hopewell, VirginiaHopewell, Virginia
Hopewell is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 22,591 at the 2010 Census . It is in Tri-Cities area of the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and caused a nationwide pollution controversy due to improper handling and dumping of the substance into the nearby James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
. In the United States, its use was banned in 1975. In 2009, kepone was included in the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is an international environmental treaty, signed in 2001 and effective from May 2004, that aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants .- History :...
, which bans its production and use worldwide.
In July 2003, a Richmond Magazine article chronicled the effects on Allied Signal employees and described how Dan Rather
Dan Rather
Daniel Irvin "Dan" Rather, Jr. is an American journalist and the former news anchor for the CBS Evening News. He is now managing editor and anchor of the television news magazine Dan Rather Reports on the cable channel HDNet. Rather was anchor of the CBS Evening News for 24 years, from March 9,...
and CBS's 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
brought nationwide attention to the problem.
Due to the pollution scare, many businesses and restaurants along the river suffered, and then-Governor Mills Godwin Jr. shut down the James River to fishing from Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
to the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
.
French Antilles
The French island of MartiniqueMartinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
is heavily contaminated with kepone, following years of unrestricted (including spray planes) use on banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
plantations. Despite a 1990 ban of the substance by France, the island was, after intensive lobbying by the economically powerful Béké
Béké
Béké or beke is a Creole term to describe a descendant of the early European, usually French, settlers in the French Antilles.-Origin:The origin of the term is not clear and several explanations have been proposed. It could be a word from the Igbo language where it describes a European...
community, allowed to continue using kepone until 1993, under the since disputed argument that no alternative pesticide was available. Similarly, the nearby island of Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
is also contaminated, but to a lesser extent. Since 2003, the local authorities restricted cultivation of crops because the soil has been seriously contaminated by kepone. That may correlate with the fact that Guadeloupe has one of the highest prostate cancer rates in the world.
In popular culture
- KeponeKepone (band)Kepone was an American indie rock band based out of Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1991, the band's name was derived from the Kepone crisis that occurred in the Richmond area in the 1970s. Originally formed as a sideproject of Michael Bishop of GWAR, the original lineup of the band also included...
was the name of an American indie rock band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1991, the band's name is derived from the kepone crisis that occurred in the Richmond area in the 1970s. It was originally formed as a sideproject of Michael Bishop, ex-bassist of GWARGWARGwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...
.
- The Dead KennedysDead KennedysDead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene....
recorded a song named "Kepone Factory", a satirical look at the controversy surrounding Allied Signal and their negligence regarding employee safety, for their 1981 album In God We Trust, Inc.In God We Trust, Inc.In God We Trust, Inc. is a hardcore punk EP by the Dead Kennedys; it is now reissued with the Plastic Surgery Disasters album. The thrashing, lightning-fast beats and shouted vocals, on the first six tracks, resembles Washington D.C.'s punk bands of the time; more than on any other Dead Kennedys...
. The song was written in 1978, originally titled "Kepone Kids", and was demoed and performed live despite not appearing on any recordings until 1981.
- A history of kepone incidents is featured in the book Who's Poisoning America?: Corporate Polluters and Their Victims in the Chemical Age by Ralph NaderRalph NaderRalph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
.