Controversy About The Use Of DDT In Developing Countries

A positive consequence of DDT is its effectiveness, even in the face of pesticide resistance in the anopheles mosquito. The eradication of malaria in the United States and the health of US Soldiers while fighting in World War II can be greatly credited to the use of DDT

One reason why DDT should not be used is because of its harmful effects on humans. First, research had shown that the consumption of DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) had caused many people to contract many dangerous diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, kidney and ovarian diseases. Studies had also linked the use of DDT to be a carcinogenic, causing breast cancer in women. A study of 9,300

DDT and other chlorinated hydrocarbons are very fat soluble so when these chemicals are sprayed on plants and these plants get eaten by animal the chlorinated hydrocarbon gets in the animal's fat. Then that animal get eaten by another animal and now that has the chlorinated

When DDT became available for civilian use in 1945, there were only a few people who expressed second thoughts about this new miracle compound. One was nature writer Edwin Way Teale, who warned, "A spray as indiscriminate as DDT can upset the economy of nature as much as a revolution upsets social economy. Ninety percent of all insects are good, and if they are killed, things go out of kilter right away." Another was Rachel Carson, who wrote to the Reader's Digest to propose an article about a series of tests on DDT being conducted not far from where she lived in Maryland. The magazine rejected the idea.

1. Carlson classifies modern insecticides into two groups of chemicals. The first group, represented by DDT, is known as the “chlorinated hydrocarbons” and the other group, represented by Malathion and parathion, consists of the organic phosphorus insecticides. Although both are organic, the organic phosphorous insecticides are more poisonous than the chlorinated hydrocarbons and have the ability to destroy enzymes.

What exactly is a pesticide? “A pesticide is a chemical used to prevent, destroy, or repel pests” (EPA). There are many different pests. Some examples are the termites that cause damage to our homes, dandelions in our yards, and

First off DDT has the ability to kill insects that carry diseases such as malaria. There is

While DDT is good for killing bugs, it is also really good at breaking down our foods. One study by the President's Cancer Panel showed that girls exposed to DDT before puberty are five times more likely to develop breast cancer in middle age. Really the only good thing that comes from DDT is that it’s a possible solution for malaria control, but even then it’s rare that DDT is the most effective option. The dangers and harmful effects of DDT are too dangerous and society as a whole needs to stop using

A pesticide is a substance used to eliminate insects or other organisms that come into contact with the plant life that the substance is placed on, this tactic of removal is damaging to both harmful and helpful insects or organisms.

It would appear that DDT would be the obvious choice to prevent cases of malaria in developing nations and all over the world. However, DDT is not without its potential hazards. DDT was used as a pesticide in the United States until it was banned in 1972. First employed as an insecticide in 1939, the white powder would kill massive amounts of mosquito larvae. Paul Müller actually won the Nobel Prize for first using the chemical on insects. The pesticide was used throughout the United States to combat more kinds of insect-pests such as gypsy moths. It was not

Dr. Paul Müller discovered chemical DDT effectiveness on insects just prior to World War II. His work received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1948 1,9. During World War II the Allied forces used DDT to combat typhus and malaria vectors 15. After the war they used the chemical to control the vector and agricultural pests, helping to successfully

Since 1945, EDT and other chlorinated hydrocarbon and organic bio phosphate insecticides have probably prevented the premature deaths of at least 7 million people from inset transmitted diseases such as malaria (mosquito), bubonic plague(rat fleas), typhus(body lice), and sleeping sickness(tsetse fly).

The pesticide DDT was first utilized in 1939 when a Swiss chemist, Paul Hermann Muller revealed the effectiveness of the 1st modern synthetic insecticide. In 1945, farmers gained access to DDT to use as an agricultural insecticide; it was also widely used in homes and institutions for insect control. Years later in 1969, DDTs safety concern grew. Following an investigation conducted by John F. Kennedy’s team of scientists, it was recommended that “persistent toxic pesticides”, including DDT, become phased out. In 1971, the U.S. District Court of Appeals ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to ban DDT; in 1972-3 DDT the ban became effective.

While this program experienced success in some regions of the world with many nations showing sharp reductions in the number of new malaria cases, the program failed in its ultimate goal of eradicating the disease due to the emergence of drug and insecticide resistance as well as the discovery of the environmental and health effects caused by the toxicity of the principal insecticide being used; DDT. Elimination was most successful in temperate countries and malaria remains a major problem for tropical regions of the world, most especially sub-Saharan Africa (CDC).

Reason why neonicotinoid pesticides is popular in controlling pests is because of its water solubility. Water solubility lets neonicotinoid to be applied in plants and then taken up by the plants. This, in turn helps kill insects in plants. The first neonicotinoid, imidacloprid, can just be sprayed on the plant. But it is more useful when it is applied to the soil instead. These insecticides help control beetles, fleas, cockroaches and other flies.