heptachlor

[hep-tuh-klawr, -klohr]

noun

1. a highly toxic, light-tan, waxy solid, C 10 H 5 Cl 7 , used as an insecticide: its manufacture and use are restricted in the U.S.

heptachlor

1. A white or tan powder used as a pesticide. Because it is highly toxic to humans and is a suspected carcinogen, its use has been largely discontinued. Chemical formula: C ₁₀ H ₅ Cl ₇ .

Word History and Origins

Origin of heptachlor¹

First recorded in 1945–50; hepta- + chlor- ²

Example Sentences

If the diet contains as little as a tenth of one part per million, there will be measurable amounts of heptachlor in the body.

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The United States Department of Agriculture, which as late as March, 1959, had declared heptachlor to be acceptable for use on hops in the form of a soil treatment, thereafter belatedly withdrew its registration for such use.

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In other experiments, it was found that BHC, lindane, aldrin, heptachlor, and DDD all prevented nitrogen-fixing bacteria from forming the necessary root nodules on leguminous plants, and also that a curious but beneficial relation between fungi and the roots of higher plants was seriously disrupted.

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BHC persists a least eleven years, and heptachlor at least nine.

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On the advice of agricultural experts and insecticide manufacturers, they chose heptachlor to do the job.

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