3 ms·
I am still old enough to remember “Silent Spring” and the fear that all the birds were disappearing. This lead to the banning of DDT. Unfortunately at the time
by RcouF1uZ4gsC 7y ago
I am still old enough to remember “Silent Spring” and the fear that all the birds were disappearing. This lead to the banning of DDT. Unfortunately at the time there was not as good a substitute for mosquito control that matched the low human toxicity and persistence of DDT. As a result, millions of people, mostly children died from malaria and other mosquito borne illnesses.
- bwb 7y agoWow got a link? Millions and where was this?
- nngrey 7y agoAfrica has been the hardest hit. Progress has been made in reducing deaths in recent years, but millions is not an exaggeration and children have often been the victims. While most of us have a negative attitude towards DDT because of its impact on the wildlife, it did play an important role in controlling mosquitoes and reducing malaria infections in the past. https://www.who.int/news-room/facts-in-pictures/detail/malaria https://www.who.int/news-room/facts-in-pictures/detail/malar... http://www.healthdata.org/research-article/global-malaria-mortality-between-1980-and-2010-systematic-analysis http://www.healthdata.org/research-article/global-malaria-mo... https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ddt-use-to-combat-malaria/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ddt-use-to-combat...
- bwb 7y agoThanks all, reading!
- _Microft 7y agoGo have a lot at https://www.ourworldindata.org https://www.ourworldindata.org, they definitely have articles on Malaria and progress over time.
- viburnum 7y agoTobacco companies promoted this myth about how great DDT is because they were trying to undermine health science generally. It’s a right-wing scam. Don’t fall for it. http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/30/ddt-tobacco-and-the-parallel-universe/ http://crookedtimber.org/2007/05/30/ddt-tobacco-and-the-para...