3 ms·
You make some good points, but you're missing some keys facts about why it was banned and why most people today don't really care that it's banned. This is a go
by rm999 12y ago
You make some good points, but you're missing some keys facts about why it was banned and why most people today don't really care that it's banned. This is a good read on the topic: http://www.worldwatch.org/node/517 http://www.worldwatch.org/node/517
tldr: DDT is extremely dangerous because it is fat soluble, which means it accumulates up the food chain. It has been linked to all sorts of potential problems, both ecological and to human-health. The question of malaria is moot, mosquitos quickly developed a resistance to it. You can mitigate malaria with other means, such as bednets.
edit: specifically to your point, this is the relevant part (i.e. why it wasn't that controversial):
> The campaign managers knew that in mosquitoes, regular exposure to DDT tended to produce widespread resistance in four to seven years. Since it took three years to clear malaria from a human population, that didn't leave a lot of leeway for the eradication effort. As it turned out, the logistics simply couldn't be made to work in large, heavily infested areas with high human populations, poor housing and roads, and generally minimal infrastructure. In 1969, the campaign was abandoned
- temuze 12y agoSure - just like mercury, it accumulates up the chain. Just to be clear, I'm certainly not arguing that DDT is an end-all for all our pest problems. Again, I'm not a scientist. I'm just saying it has an interesting history! Nowadays, I think the modern approach is to treat it as another tool in our toolbox against malaria. This is a good article that discusses that: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/04/AR2005060400130.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06...
- maxerickson 12y agoThe WHO continues to endorse the use of DDT in malaria control: http://www.who.int/malaria/publications/atoz/who_htm_gmp_2011/en/ http://www.who.int/malaria/publications/atoz/who_htm_gmp_201... 2. Why is DDT still recommended? 2.1 Efficacy and effectiveness of DDT DDT has several characteristics that are of particular relevance in malaria vector control. Among the 12 insecticides currently recommended for this intervention, DDT is the one with the longest residual efficacy when sprayed on walls and ceilings (6–12 months depending on dosage and nature of substrate). In similar conditions, other insecticides have a much shorter residual efficacy (pyrethroids: 3–6 months; organophosphates and carbamates: 2–6 months). Depending on the duration of the transmission season, the use of DDT alternatives might require more than two spray cycles per year, which would be very difficult (if not impossible) to achieve and sustain in most settings. DDT has a spatial repellency and an irritant effect on malaria vectors that strongly limit human-vector contact. Vector mosquitoes that are not directly killed by DDT are repelled and obliged to feed and rest outdoors, which contributes to effective disease-transmission control.
- rm999 12y agoBut only for indoor spraying: > WHO recommends DDT only for indoor residual spraying. Countries can use DDT for as long as necessary, in the quantity needed, provided that the guidelines and recommendations of WHO and the Stockholm Convention are all met... The article I linked to discusses indoor spraying and supports it. They argue though that the primary use of DDT in Africa has been agricultural spraying, which is why the resistance formed (and which is what most people oppose).
- maxerickson 12y agoYou said why it was banned, The question of malaria is moot and In 1969, the campaign was abandoned. It was worth clarifying.