Pros And Cons Of Dichlorodiphenyl-Trichloroethana (DDT)
978 Words4 Pages
Dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethana (DDT): Dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethana (DDT) is a synthetic persistent organochloride chemical compound known for its insecticidal properties. The compound is colorless, crystalline, tasteless and almost odorless. The compound has been abbreviated and globally known as DDT. DDT was first synthesized in the laboratory in 1874 by Othmar Zeidler whereas this laboratory-produced product remained with no use for decades until the insecticidal action of DDT was discovered in 1939 by the Chemist Paul Herman Müller who was awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine in 1948 for his discovery on the toxic efficiency of DDT as a contact insecticide against several arthropods. DDT was used widely throughout the world during the second half of World War II by the Allies to control malaria and typhus among civilians…show more content… expressed their concerns regarding the use of DDT and possible hazards associated with it. Afterwards, the impacts of DDT spraying in the United States on ecology and human health were strongly highlighted in the book “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson which was published in 1962. The publishing of this book stimulated environmental movements resulting in a large public outcry that eventually along with the EPA public hearing led, in 1972, to a ban on the use of DDT in agriculture in the United States. Later, a worldwide ban on the use of DDT in agricultural was formalized under the Stockholm Convention in 2004. An exemption allowed the use of DDT for public health uses under some conditions. For example, permission for the use of DDT was granted to the California Department of Health Services in 1979 to control the flea vectors of bubonic plague. The production of DDT in USA continued until 1985 for foreign markets when over 300 tons were exported. In general, the banning of DDT was easier where the environmental damage was greater than the compound's possible