What does dieldrin mean?
Dieldrin is a synthetic organochlorine insecticide developed in the late 1940s and widely deployed through the mid-twentieth century to combat soil insects, termites, locusts, mosquitoes, and other agricultural and public-health pests. Chemically related to aldrin — which converts into dieldrin in soil and in animal tissues — it is exceptionally stable, meaning that it persists in soil and water for years or even decades and accumulates in the fatty tissue of wildlife and humans. This persistence, together with evidence of neurotoxicity and carcinogenicity in laboratory animals, led most industrialized nations to ban or severely restrict its use during the 1970s and 1980s. Today the word appears almost exclusively in scientific papers, environmental monitoring reports, and histories of pesticide regulation, where it serves as a textbook example of a persistent organic pollutant whose residues can still be detected long after its use ended.
nounA highly toxic, persistent organochlorine insecticide formerly used against soil insects and pests such as locusts and mosquitoes, now banned in most countries because of its environmental persistence and toxicity.
- A synthetic organochlorine compound (C12H8Cl6O) used as a persistent insecticide, especially against soil-dwelling pests, now banned or heavily restricted in most countries.
"Residues of dieldrin were still detectable in the soil decades after spraying had stopped."
"The wetland sediments contained measurable levels of dieldrin long after its use was outlawed."
"Farmers who handled dieldrin without protective equipment faced serious health risks."
Rarely used in the plural, as dieldrin refers to a specific chemical substance and is normally uncountable; a plural would appear only when referring to different formulations or preparations.
"Various dieldrins were marketed under different trade names."
Named after Nobel laureate Otto Diels, dieldrin was once sprayed worldwide to fight locusts and mosquitoes — then banned almost everywhere after it proved too good at sticking around.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dieldrin
Dieldrin was coined in the late 1940s by the chemical company J.R. Geigy as a commercial name for the insecticide, formed by combining the surname of the German chemist Otto Diels — of Diels–Alder reaction fame, whose chemistry underlies the compound's synthesis — with the suffix -drin shared by related insecticides such as aldrin and endrin (the latter honouring Kurt Alder). The name thus belongs to a small family of pesticide terms derived from scientists' surnames rather than classical roots.
How dieldrin is actually used
Dieldrin is an uncountable technical noun used chiefly in scientific, regulatory, agricultural, and historical contexts. It carries strongly negative connotations today, being associated with environmental contamination, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. It appears mainly in past-oriented discussions of pesticide regulation.
Easily confused with dieldrin
Aldrin is a closely related organochlorine insecticide that is converted into dieldrin in the environment and in living organisms; the two are distinct compounds with different chemical structures and toxicological profiles.