Other names
HCB, perchlorobenzene
CAS Number
118-74-1
Properties
- colourless to white solid
- insoluble in water
- is a persistent organic pollutant
Main sources
- agriculture: fungicide used to treat seeds
- industry: secondary product in the production of specific chemicals and during combustion processes
Thresholds for the reporting requirement of facilities in accordance with Annex 2 PRTRO
(Ordinance on the Register relating to Pollutant Release and the Transfer of Waste and of Pollutants in Waste Water)
- Air 10 kg/year
- Water 1 kg/year
- Soil 1 kg/year
Impacts
- inhibits the synthesis of haeme (heme) in the human body
- decomposes very slowly (soil half-life of up to twenty years)
Measures
- banned since the Stockholm Convention came into force in 2004