What is DDT in simple terms?

: a colorless odorless water-insoluble insecticide C14H9Cl5 that is an aromatic organochlorine banned in the U.S. that tends to accumulate and persist in ecosystems and has toxic effects on many vertebrates.

Why DDT is banned?

The US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) banned nearly all domestic uses of DDT in 1972 after the publication of Silent Spring and broad public outcry over DDT’s impacts on wildlife and people. It is, however, still being used to fight malaria in the developing world.

What does DDT kill?

DDT is a remarkable molecule, since it kills a wide variety of insect pests, such as houseflies, body lice, mosquitoes, Colorado beetles, and gypsy moths.

What is an example of DDT?

For example, DDT use is widespread in Indian agriculture, particularly mango production and is reportedly used by librarians to protect books. Other examples include Ethiopia, where DDT intended for malaria control is reportedly used in coffee production, and Ghana where it is used for fishing.

What was DDT originally used for?

DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane) was developed as the first of the modern synthetic insecticides in the 1940s. It was initially used with great effect to combat malaria, typhus, and the other insect-borne human diseases among both military and civilian populations.

When and why was DDT banned?

In 1972, EPA issued a cancellation order for DDT based on its adverse environmental effects, such as those to wildlife, as well as its potential human health risks. Since then, studies have continued, and a relationship between DDT exposure and reproductive effects in humans is suspected, based on studies in animals.

What is the lifespan of DDT?

DDT is highly persistent in the environment. The soil half-life for DDT is from 2 to 15 years (16). See box on Half-life. The half-life of DDT in an aquatic environment is about 150 years (17).

What is an alternative to DDT?

Pyrethroids are the most cost-effective alternatives to DDT in malaria control except where pyrethroid resistance occurs (Walker 2000). There are two new developments with regard to IRS.

Is DDT being used today?

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is an insecticide used in agriculture. The United States banned the use of DDT in 1972, but some countries still use the chemical. It is still in use outside the United States for the control of mosquitoes that spread malaria.

What was DDT originally intended to kill?

DDT”s first major accomplishment was to eliminate a typhus epidemic in Naples in 1943 by killing lice that spread the disease. It also killed mosquitoes that spread malaria in Greece and Ceylon. The World Health Organization says that DDT helped save the lives of approximately twenty five million people.

What was DDT used for?

• DDT was initially used by the military in WW II to control malaria, typhus, body lice, and bubonic plague (1). Cases of malaria fell from 400,000 in 1946 to virtually none in 1950 (3). DDT is still used today in South America, Africa, and Asia for this purpose.

What is DDT used for?

DDT use was popular as a form of insecticide up until the 1960s until speculation emerged about the safety of its usage. DDT is still sometimes used to fight malaria.

What is DDT made from?

DDT is a mixture of dichorodiphenyltrichlordethane isomers, it is composed of fourteen carbon atoms, nine hydrogen, and five chlorine atoms.