The Environmental Protection Agency of the us has decided not to renew the registration of lindane, a highly toxic pesticide used to treat seeds of wheat, corn, oats, rye, barley and sorghum crops. In response, the manufacturers have agreed to cease sales in the us. Lindane is a chlorinated pesticide, much like ddt and similar compounds, which were outlawed in most of the world in the 1970s. Now, the only remaining us use of lindane is for prescription shampoos and lotion treatments for head lice and scabies, which are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, not the epa.