DDT

The Deadly War against DDT

A remarkable new documentary tells the story of how political and ideological forces combined to ban a widely and safely used chemical, DDT, leading to a surge of malaria deaths in developing countries like Kenya, Indonesia, and India.

3 Billion and Counting, which premieres this Friday in Manhattan, was produced by Dr. Rutledge Taylor, a California physician who specializes in preventive medicine. His film will both shock and anger you.

DDT was first synthesized in 1877, but it was not until 1940 that a Swiss chemist demonstrated that it could kill insects without any harm to humans. It was introduced into widespread use during World War II and became the single most important pesticide in maintaining human health for the next two decades. The scientist who discovered the insecticidal properties of DDT, Dr. Paul Müller, was awarded the 1948 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on DDT. (In the 1940s and 1950s the chemical was the "secret" ingredient in a popular new cocktail, the Mickey Slim: gin, with a pinch of DDT.)

In 1962, Rachel Carson's lyrical but scientifically flawed book, Silent Spring, argued eloquently, but erroneously, that pesticides, especially DDT, were poisoning both wildlife and the environment – and also endangering human health. The National Academy of Sciences, the American Medical Association, and the U.S. surgeon general were among those who dismissed these charges and came out in support of continuing to use DDT to fight disease and protect crops. A federal hearing was held on the safety of DDT, and in April 1972 Judge Edmund Sweeney concluded that not only was DDT safe, but it was an essential chemical. Two months later, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, William Ruckelshaus – who had never attended a single day's session of the EPA's hearings and admitted that he had not read the transcripts — overturned the judge's decision, declaring, without evidence, that DDT was "a potential human carcinogen" and banned it for virtually all uses. The ban on DDT was considered to be the first major victory for the environmentalist movement in the United States, and countries around the world followed America's lead.

In Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), DDT spraying had reduced malaria cases from 2.8 million in 1948 to 17 in 1963. After spraying stopped, malaria cases rose sharply, reaching 2.5 million over the next decade.

Scientists have never found an effective substitute for DDT — and so the malaria death rate has kept on soaring.

In his dissection of the rise of the environmental movement and the fall of science, Dr. Taylor not only educates us, but he also sparks outrage about the unforeseen consequences of a scientifically ignorant chemical witchhunt, one that has caused untold human suffering and billions of deaths, primarily among children. While any man-on-the-street interview will yield an overwhelming majority of negative comments about DDT — a "highly toxic, killer chemical" – the reality is that DDT has saved more lives than any other man-made chemical.

– Dr. Elizabeth M. Whelan is president of the American Council on Science and Health."

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/print/246562

They say it might also help with the expanding bedbug problem in the US. But I am so freaked about the years of DDT propaganda, I don't think I could sleep with DDT around.

Imagine how much bigger the population explosion would be if all those malaria victims had lived. It would be interesting to see if a couple of countries started using DDT again so we could have a test country.

Yeah, what a GREAT IDEA, lets do another DDT test. Why not use CO instead of some foreign country. Please do some reading...the testing phase is over and those that would have you believe otherwise really value your life less than a McD shake.

How do you sleep today, there is DDT all over your house in in your body. Look it up.

Are you really ready to go back to the days where hot summer days were mitigated by kids simply riding behind the DDT spray truck getting cooled off by the overspray...cause that's the way it was.

You can still go down to ace or home depot and buy so many insecticides, sure they may not be as effective at killing as DDT, but at this point only idiots, chemical companies and politicians will compromise your health for such things. I challenge you go buy one of the most common household pesticides...a hot shot pest strip... and then read up on it. The reports are on line, from scientists, from the 60', and 70's when they determined that that stuff should not be around humans.....but it is in your homes, in your cabinets and sprayed all over your foods. You eat foods that have been sprayed and are shelved only hours after they meet acceptable half life standards. The reason we should not let DDT back, even if it would save a few lives or stop some bedbugs, is that no one is looking out for your health and if you do not fully understand the chemicals, which very very few do, it is best to stick to things you know, like water and heat and simple solutions or tolerance for these pests.

Bed bugs can be cured easily by turning the freaking heat up and leaving for a day. Apparently this is way to out the box for some folks, so let's dowse our house with chemicals and then have them come back again when it doesn't work. Just overheat your home and you are good to go. But no one makes any money on that so it is not in the media very much.

Now you even have to wonder with the whole rise of bedbugs, in hotels, apartments, theaters, and brand new furniture and victoria secret purchases. Do you really want to spend any time in these places....1 because of the bugs...be even more important 2 because you have no clue what kind of toxic powder they are throwing on the bed, movie seat or bra and then you snuggle your face, neck and breasts in these chemicals.

If we are going to bring back DDT, we might as well start wearing clothing before we wash it. I love the feeling of Chinese toxic factory dust on my skin. You know the year before they made those shirts you were wearing, they used that factory for making batteries...and the year before that pesticides. Don't worry, it is scheduled to be swept once a year.

"We're from Dow Chemical...in Bhopal, India...and we're here to help you..." ("Just get out of the way of our corporate profits...")

Way back when I was in college I wrote a paper on DDT and its effects. I just verified what I remember from the Wiki site. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDT
DDT and its derivatives are great insecticides with a pretty low resistance factor. However it does concentrate up the food chain, and there is no doubt that it is harmful to certain avian populations. DDT’s effect on humans is less defined and most likely not very harmful to humans. It is suspected as an agent in numerous conditions, but….
I remember a DDT advocate back in the day who was reported to have been eating a teaspoon full every day, I bet he didn’t have to worry about bed bugs. I remember as a kid, my dad dusting the entire perimeter of our house and yard with a gunny sack of DDT. I would imagine that some of the DDT or it’s by-products are still stored in my body fat. No wonder mosquitoes rarely bite me.
From the Wiki article “

DDT use is widespread in Indian agriculture,[100] particularly mango production,[101] and is reportedly used by librarians to protect books.[102] Other example include Ethiopia, where DDT intended for malaria control is reportedly being used in coffee production”

Appears to be some contradiction, is DDT still used or not?

LadyJazzer wrote: "We're from Dow Chemical...in Bhopal, India...and we're here to help you..." ("Just get out of the way of our corporate profits...")

It wasn't Dow it was an Indian owned subsidy of Union Carbide. It wasn't DDT or it's precursors. The plant manufactured organo-phosphate insecticides. The gas that leaked was Methyl isocyanate.
The Bhopal disaster (also referred to as the Bhopal gas tragedy) is the world's worst industrial catastrophe. It occurred on the night of December 2–3, 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. UCIL was the Indian subsidiary of Union Carbide Corporation (UCC). Indian Government controlled banks and the Indian public held a 49.1 percent ownership share. In 1994, the Supreme Court of India allowed UCC to sell its 50.9 percent share. The Bhopal plant was sold to McLeod Russel (India) Ltd. UCC is now a subsidiary of Dow Chemical Company. A leak of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas and other chemicals from the plant resulted in the exposure of several thousands of people.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_disaster