Toxaphene is a chemical substance that is very toxic. It is a persistent organic pollutant, and one of the twelve substances listed in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. Its use is banned since 1993. It was used as an insecticide. It was mainly the cotton and soybean growers who used it. It was also used to treat Mange in cattle. The substance damages the lungs, the nervous system and the kidneys. It is a carcinogen and causes mutations and birth defects. Because it is very volatile, it travels easily through the environment. 