Ufa is one of most heavily contaminated dioxin sites in Russia. In 1990 a phenol spill at the Khimprom herbicide plant leaked into Ufa’s drinking water supply. An investigation of the impact of this incident on human health revealed that levels of dioxin in the human body in Ufa were ten times background levels. The factory at the center of this contamination has long since been closed. Around 500,000 of petroleum by-products containing dioxin remain stored on the factory premises.

Lindane is banned and severely restricted in over 50 countries but is still produced in India, China, Romania and possibly Russia. This toxic insecticide is ranked among the top chemicals of concern by the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Lindane production is an exceptionally dirty process, creating 9-12 tons of waste for every ton of lindane produced.

India has a total lindane production capacity of 1,300 tons per year, with two companies producing: Kanoria Chemicals and Industries Ltd (KCIL) with a capacity of 1,000 tons per annum (tpa), and India Pesticides Limited (IPL) with 300 tpa capacity.