DDT is an organochlorine insecticide and was used in WW II to take care of mosquitos that carry malaria. It was used on food crops and in buildings for pest control worldwide in U.S. It was a very effective at killing the insects that contain malaria and is very cheap to manufacture. Although there are some benefits to DDT, it is also very harmful to the environment.
The residue of DDT stays in the environment for such a long time that it causes problems in animal’s environments and humans. Studies show that when animals are exposed to DDT, they develop hyperexcitability, tremors, incoordination, and convulsions. Humans who are exposed to DDT, experience a strange prickling sensation of the mouth, nausea, dizziness, confusion, headache, lethargy, incoordination, vomiting, fatigue, and tremors.
In Borneo, they parachuted cats to take care of rodents while the spraying of DDT was in the air, this resulted to killing many cats because of the ingestion of DDT, which led to increased rodent populations. This story encouraged people to want to ban DDT. DDT was discovered in 1939 by
…show more content…
DDT breakdown products were found in 99% of people tested by CDC. Health impacts, such as in girls who were exposed to DDT before puberty are five times more likely to develop breast cancer in middle age according to the President’s Cancer Panel.
DDT can also cause pregnant women who are exposed to DDT to likely give birth prematurely or low birth rate babies.
Conclusion: DDT is highly effective at killing mosquitoes that carry malaria but the damage that it does is far too great causing the environment to suffer and people’s health and animals health to be affected greatly over time. I don’t believe that DDT is healthy nor should it ever be legal in the United