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In Sweden, they use helicopters to bomb the mosquitoes with the pesticide Vectobac G. http://www.thelocal.se/40512/20120427/ http://www.thelocal.se/40512/20120
by draugadrotten 13y ago
In Sweden, they use helicopters to bomb the mosquitoes with the pesticide Vectobac G.
http://www.thelocal.se/40512/20120427/ http://www.thelocal.se/40512/20120427/
- ams6110 13y agoIt is a shame that one of safest and most effective pesticides used to control mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects, DDT, is no longer permitted in most countries.
- imissmyjuno 13y agowhy is it banned if it's one of the safest?
- nitrogen 13y agoFrom what I recall reading on earlier HN threads mentioning DDT, it was linked to reproductive harm in birds (softer/weaker shells), and insects started building up a resistance anyway.
- klipt 13y agoAccording to Wikipedia though, DDT only played a minor role in eliminating Malaria from the US: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDT#Use_in_the_1940s_and_1950s http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDT#Use_in_the_1940s_and_1950s
- merlincorey 13y agoCitations? I'm absolutely not an expert but I was under the general impression that DDT is no longer permitted because it's not safe.
- magicalist 13y agoThat's correct, and moreover, DDT is not even banned if used for things like stopping disease-carrying mosquitos. The Stockholm Convention explicitly allows for that use[1]. This is usually brought up as a weird rallying point for people with an ax to grind with Silent Spring, nevermind the very real effects of DDT and nevermind the exemptions explicitly dealing with the objections raised. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDT#Restrictions_on_usage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDT#Restrictions_on_usage
- LeeHunter 13y agoLong article about the invention of DDT and it'sssubsequent use and misuse. http://www.gladwell.com/2001/2001_07_02_a_ddt.htm http://www.gladwell.com/2001/2001_07_02_a_ddt.htm