Insecticide lindane found to cause cancer

Use of chemical in UK restricted, but consumers may still be exposed through foods imported from other countries

A common insecticide has been found to cause cancer in humans, according to a World Health Organization review. The product, lindane, was once widely used in agriculture and continues to be found in some treatments for head lice and scabies. The WHO concluded today that the substance is carcinogenic and specifically said that exposure to the chemical could increase the risk of the rare immune cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, by 60%.

Although agricultural use of the chemical is heavily restricted in Britain, consumers may still be exposed through foods imported from some developing countries, where it continues to be used in agriculture.