DDT Around the World

​DDT is a pesticide that up until 1972, was used to limit the number of insects, and insect borne diseases like “malaria, typhus, body lice, and bubonic plague” (DDT General Fact Sheet, 1999) during WWII. Starting in the 1950’s, DDT was used on farms and in buildings for pest control. This particular pesticide was inexpensive and had long term residual effects. However, although having a long-lasting active ingredient was good to keep pests away for long periods of time, it also exposed humans for longer periods of time, lengthening the side effects of the pesticide.

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Author

Claudia Castro
​Outbreak! 2020

​“DDT is considered a possible human carcinogen” (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) Factsheet | National Biomonitoring Program | CDC, 2017). The chemical targets the kidney, adrenal gland, nervous system, reproductive system, and liver in humans. Whether exposed through consumption, breathing, or touching contaminated products, most of the side effects can go away once exposure stops.
Personally, I do not have much connection to DDT poisoning. However, it drew my attention as a dangerous inhalant. Even though I live in a community with clean air, I still have difficulty breathing. Trying to imagine what it would be like to inhale poisons that can cause so much damage intrigues me.
In 1972 the EPA issued a cancelation order that banned the substance in the United states. In 2004, The Stockholm Convention on (since this is the first mention of POPS use the full name here and the acronym thereafter) POPs was created, limiting the use of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) around the world. This treaty allows for DDT to be used to reduce the population of mosquitoes that transmit malaria. DDT is very effective in removing pests but can be very harmful to humans as well. Looking at the pesticide, it is usually best to use it only when necessary.
Works Cited
 
Atsdr.cdc.gov. 2015. ATSDR - Public Health Statement: DDT, DDE, DDD. [online] Available at:
 
<https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=79&tid=20> [Accessed 19 August 2020].
 
Cdc.gov. 2017. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) Factsheet | National Biomonitoring Program |
 
CDC. [online] Available at:
 
<https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/DDT_FactSheet.html#:~:text=The%20United%20States%20
 
banned%20the,countries%20still%20use%20the%20chemical.&text=It%20is%20still%20in%20us
 
e,environment%20and%20in%20animal%20tissues.> [Accessed 19 August 2020].
 
Fagen, L., 2019. Decades Later, DDT Is Still A ‘Silent’ Killer. [online] Sustainability-times.com. Available
 
at: <https://www.sustainability-times.com/environmental-protection/decades-later-ddt-pesticide-is-
 
still-a-silent-killer/> [Accessed 20 August 2020].
 
MosquitoReviews. 2020. DDT Resistant Mosquitoes & Where DDT Is Still Used. [online] Available at:
 
<https://mosquitoreviews.com/insecticides/ddt-resistant-mosquitoes> [Accessed 20 August 2020].
 
Npic.orst.edu. 1999. DDT (General Fact Sheet). [online] Available at:
 
<http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/ddtgen.pdf>.
 
US EPA. 2017. DDT - A Brief History And Status | US EPA. [online] Available at:
 
<https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/ddt-brief-history-and-status>
 
[Accessed 19 August 2020].
 

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