The Effects Of Ddt On The Environment

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 first chemical to be discussed is Agent Orange; Agent Orange has been identified as a human carcinogen; this chemical was introduced during the Vietnam War as a defoliant for the thick Vietnamese jungle. Although Agent Orange contained a variety of herbicides, most of the pesticide contained Phenoxyacetic acid – based herbicide 2,4-D and 2,4, 5-T. The most common mixture

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

The first chemical to be discussed is Agent Orange; Agent Orange has been identified as a human carcinogen; this chemical was introduced during the Vietnam war as a defoliant for the thick Vietnamese jungle. Although Agent Orange contained a variety of herbicides, most of the pesticide contained Phenoxyacetic acid – based herbicide 2,4-D and 2,4, 5-T. The most common mixture of the Agent Orange used during

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.

”On those visits, I feel not only the spirit of the local people…and the seasonal change.”(345).Nowadays seasonal variation in industrial societies is minimized by importing many products that mature in specific seasons from different parts of the world. Technologies however, are impacting on our lives. “DDT would exert incredible selective pressure for mutations that would confer resistance” (347), it killed malaria-carrying mosquitoes but in few years large numbers of mosquitoes will return. It also has ecological damage the compound is ingested by many organisms, become concentrated up the food chain in a process called biomagnification. It causes heavy bird mortality.

DDT is a chemical that is widely known for is properties as an insecticide. When humans discovered this “wonder product” the whole country was on fire! The one company that made the most money was Montrose Chemical Corporation. From 1942 - 1971, when DDT was banned, the MCC pumped out DDT tons at a time. However, the bigshots were faced with a problem. Where do you dump all the leftover byproduct? Hey, why not the ocean! When DDT byproduct, DDE, was dumped into the ocean, fish and other seafood had it leached into them. This meant the bald eagles’ main food source was contaminated. When the bald eagles ingested their main source of food, the DDE became very concentrated in them. When bald eagles attempted to lay eggs, barely any would hatch! The DDE caused their eggs to be porous, and the eggs fail to hatch. This meant the bald eagles’ total extinction on the Channel Islands by the 1950’s.

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

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.

According to Maine’s Claim to Fame, “In 1958, Rachel received a letter from friends Smart and Olga Huckins of Duxbury, Massachusetts, whose small nature sanctuary had been devastated by air spraying of DDT, virtually wiping out all birds and beneficial insect life. Shouldn’t something be done about it?

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

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

Agent orange was a very deadly toxin. According to history.com, From1961 to 1972, the U.S. military conducted a large-scale defoliation program

Carson’s anchor text, “Silent Spring” is inspiring some people to solve the problem that could get worse in the future. For example, it makes people think we should care for the planet more because if we don’t, we could disappear in a second. In this anchor text, it is about the dangers of DDT. It is a dangerous pesticides many people try to get rid of. With this more people start to be puzzled.

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