Ddt : A Negative Stigma

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, better known as DDT is a notorious organochlorine pesticide that is created by the reaction of chloral with chlorobenzene in combination with sulfuric acid(Britannica p.1). It was first used as an insecticide in 1939 by Hermann Muller in Switzerland. DDT works as an insecticideby acting on the nervous system to generate the same neural impulse over and over causing body tremors and eventually death. DDT is an extremely stable chemical compound containing C14H9Cl5 which leads to some significant resistance issues when used as a pesticide. The most problematic property of DDT is its high fat solubility and extremely low water solubility meaning that it has a tendency to stick around in the environment for longer than we want since it is readily taken up in the bodies of nearby mammals.

The following involves the second chapter of Carson’s book, Silent Spring that was written in 1962. In this chapter Carson argues persuasively the adverse impacts of pesticides upon the environment and the risks on human health and the environment associated with these “genetic invaders” (Carson, 1962). Many of the extremely diverse people from Carson’s audience targeted were under the impression that chemicals like DDT, at that time in history, were safe for their health. Carson reconciles and attempts to persuade the public to consider the idea that DDT, which in the 1950s and 60s was one of the many chemical pesticides being manufactured and sold to

Following the 2001 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic pollutants, by 2008, 160 nations signed the agreement to eliminate DDT, considered one of the twelve pollutants of “greatest concern to the health of the global community” (Eskenazi et al., 2009). Despite unease about the lasting effects of DDT, the insecticide should not be banned completely.

Agriculture is the most fundamental resource of society. Without it, humans could not live, especially in the ways we do now where people reside in cities. This means that those cities could not exist without large scale agriculture to sustain them. Since agriculture is such a necessity, people have developed methods to gain more from their land. One of the many solutions besides machinery they have developed to produce higher crop yields is through the use of pesticides. However, those pesticides which have resulted in high crop yields have come at price, and that is human health itself. This seems rather contradictory. Pesticides were designed to help people and society by increased the success of producing high crop yields, and they

DDT should not be used because of its toxicity to humans, animals, and the environment. DDT is a harmful pesticide that, when consumed by humans, can cause several dangerous diseases and also lead to problems involving birth. DDT should not be used because of its negative impact on the environment, and its devastating effects on wildlife.

This scholarly text book, part of a series called Current Controversies, is composed of primary sources taken from a diversity of informational categories including books, newspapers, periodicals, international government documents, and the publications of organizations. The authors in this series examine some of the issues that typical arise in the debate about pesticides, including whether they are detrimental to human health, animals and the environment, whether they are essential to curtailing international hunger, and what the future of pesticides might be. This book widely mirrors the mosaic of opinions in both parts of the debate regarding the benefits and harmful effects

Aerial spraying, overspray, and drift threaten food crops not modified to withstand the pesticides. Soil is bare and exposed seven months of the year, resulting in tremendous soil erosion. It isn’t our soil to lose. Future generations will pay the price” (McCulloch). Farms that operate on a monocultural based scale have made it easy for specific insects to multiply abundantly. However, at the rate and to the extent that pesticides are being applied, has resulted in and continues to cause overall disturbance to the natural ecosystem. Through the studies of Rachel Carson, as infected insects were being consumed by birds, runoff from crops were leaking into streams and rivers and people were being diagnosed with illnesses. Because DDT is a synthetic chemical compound, many organisms do not have an enzyme to break it down and it becomes stored in fat and liver tissues where it cannot be

According to the Pesticide Action Network, “DDT was one of the first chemicals in widespread use as a pesticide. Following World War II, it was promoted as a wonder-chemical, the simple solution to pest problems large and small. Today, nearly 40 years after DDT was banned in the U.S., we continue to live with its long-lasting effects.” The moral dilemma here is whether or not to keep using DDT and other pesticides. They have caused so much harm and even now that they are banned here in the US, we’re still suffering from the side effects today.

In the book Silent Spring, Rachel Carson’s main concern is the widespread use of synthetic pesticides and their impact on the environment. Carson concentrates on a commonly used pesticide in the 1950s called DDT. She opposes the indiscriminate spraying of DDT because it has profound consequences on the environment, humans and animals. Carson collected information about how the DDT can cause cancer in humans, harm animals such as birds and remained in the environment for long periods of time. Subsequently, the chemicals in the pesticides are extremely harmful so she tries to raise awareness and convince others that there are better alternatives.

Since the banning of DDT in the 1970's, pest control has come a long way, with the primary focus being on moving away from the use of chemicals with harmful toxins that may compromise the health of humans and domestic pets. The emphasis has thus shifted more towards safety, with organic pest control and methods involving the use of 100% natural products at the forefront. With safe, effective and easy-to-use pest control products constantly being introduced into the market, do it yourself pest control (pest control without the assistance of professionals) is also on the rise.

Malaria has been a huge problem among many developing nations over the past century. The amount of people in the entire world that die from malaria each year is between 700,000 and 2.7 million. 75% of these deaths are African children (Med. Letter on CDC & FDA, 2001). 90% of the malaria cases in the world are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. Once again, the majority of these deaths are of children (Randerson, 2002). The numbers speak for themselves. Malaria is a huge problem and needs to be dealt with immediately.

DDT the mosquito-killing pesticide although DDT did help almost wipe out malaria from the US and other countries it was hurting Peregrine Falcons and us that's why I'm against it.

Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring, a book that is often viewed as a landmark work of environmental writing, was the result of several different events that caused her to pay attention to the results of the use of different pesticides to control insect populations in America following World War II. In her book she discusses the different kinds of chemicals our governments have been using and the damage they have all been proven to be causing to the environment, animals, and of course, humans. She provided evidence towards the correlation of cancer cases in combination with these chemicals, and advocated for the possibility of biological pest control. In Silent Spring, Carson attacks pesticides and notes their effects on the world’s ecosystems

In the book Silent Spring the author brings to our attention the damaging affects that insecticides and pesticides in which we use on a daily basis can have on us. No, not just us humans, but everything that surrounds us. The plant life; the animals; the bacteria, insects, and other types of organisms that live in the soil which sustain the plant life, which in turn feed the animals who feed us, and so on. It has come to the attention of many that the chemicals used in pesticides don’t only cause harm to those living things above the ground, they bring harm to every living thing, and could eventually wipe out earth as we know it.

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) a stable chemical compound that is high in chlorine pesticide levels, notorious for its agricultural purposes (Martin et al, 2013) it has with no doubt aroused debates around the idea of its use. Silent Spring has clearly caused a debate for decades, one of the quotes from the book was “It is not my contention, that chemical insect - ideas must never be used. I do not content that we have put poisonous and biologically potent…” (Carson, 1962). Carson was not against the idea of DDT but simply its overuse, its great use regarding insect transferred diseases was of great help, still is (Souder, 2012). The following essay describes opposing views on the use of DDT, has its use led to a co-existence between humans and nature(Chris Park, 2013) or a more technology and science orientated belief (Chris Park, 2007). Sri Lanka and South Africa are two of the most successful countries that have used DDT to eliminate Malaria. Since 2007 no deaths have been reported as a result of malaria in Sri Lanka (World Health Organisation, 2012) and over 85% cut malaria related deaths in SA().