Dieldrin

Very effective insecticide that was widely used as contact and stomach poison for soil insects like termites, grasshoppers and beetles and for textile pests until the early 1970s

Furthermore, it was used in the control of tropical vectors like the tsetse fly.

Dieldrin is the main metabolite and active ingredient of Aldrin.

It is virtually insoluble in water. In soil it adheres to particles and may enter surface waters during run-off incidences. Adsorbed to dust particles, dieldrin can be transported over long distances in the atmosphere.

The compound is toxic to animals and humans. Moreover, there is evidence for carcinogenicity and endocrine disrupting activity.
In the environment, dieldrin is very persistent. It is accumulated by plants and animals and enriches in the food web (biomagnification).

When the Stockholm Convention entered into force in 2004, the use of dieldrin was restricted to agricultural applications.

In the Federal Republic of Germany, dieldrin is banned since 1971.

Recommended analysis examples

• Dieldrin in eggs of herring gulls from the North and the Baltic Sea

Specimen

• Herring gull

  Inshore, the herring gull mainly feeds from the sea: upon fish, mussels, and crabs.

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• Roe deer, one-year-old

  The roe deer is the most common of the larger herbivores (first order-consumer) to be found in the wild in Europe.

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Sampling area

Sampling period