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GLOSSARY
BHC: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6-hexachlorocyclohexane
In 1942, three years after the development of DDT, another powerful synthetic insecticide was dis-covered : BHC or hexachlorocyclohexane. At the close of the Second World War, in 1945, Japan faced an acute food shortage and BHC was used widely against the rice borer, an insect harmful to paddy piants. BHC was mass produced and the rice yield in Japan increased significantly. Together with DDT and other chlorinated hydrocarbons, BHC came under suspicion in 1969 and its use in Japan and other countries as an agricultural chemical and household insecticide was severely curtailed. It has been shown that the beta isomer in BHC is particularly stable, having a high degree of toxic residue. BHC is stable against acids, weak against alkalis. It decomposes in the presence of iron ions. The BHC in the capsule is lindane (purified gamma isomer) 99.8% up.