The Caribbean is not the only territory contaminated with chlordecone, a highly persistent pollutant and suspected carcinogen, used as a pesticide in the banana plantations in Guadeloupe and Martinique between 1981 and 1993.

According to reports, some 1,600 tons of chlordecone were produced in the United States between 1958 and 1976. About 200 more tons of chlordecone were produced in Brazil. 300 tons were used for the Antilles. The rest was exported to other regions of the world, particularly to the former East Germany (GDR), Poland, and Ukraine. The pesticide has also been used in Cameroon and Ivory Coast.

Workers and residents of production sites fell ill with severe neurological damage. The manufacturing of the toxic pesticide has since been banned but another serious concern has come up. The residues of chlordecone could potentially bring about health and environmental problems of global dimension. Pollution caused by the product is linked to an increase in prostate cancers in the West.

Chlordecone is posing a particular problem because of its persistence in the environment. The molecules are very stable and can remain in the soil from one century up to seven centuries. Sediments also serve as vectors of contamination of river water and marine environments. The pollutant accumulates in fats and concentrates in the food chain, particularly in aquatic environments.

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Via FHA/scientificblogging