The Environmental Effects Of Malaria Control (DDT)

The scientific solution to DDT’s damaging environmental effects was to ban it, and develop better, water-soluble chemicals to replace it. However, the newly developed chemicals, though good for residual insecticide, are not as long lasting (DDT lasts twice as long), effective (DDT does not kill most of the mosquitoes, but merely repels them, lowering the risk for insecticide resistance, or cheap as DDT, which is around 25% cheaper, other insecticides cost at least 200% more than DDT, the most 2300%, in a six month house control of insects (“Cost-comparison of DDT and alternative insecticides for malaria control”). The countries that need Malaria control are not wealthy; they cannot afford to constantly spray an expensive chemical 3, or 4 times

Also, pyrethroids are easily broken down by sunlight and water. Therefore, they (the new substitutes for DDT) are not as efficient or attractive in mosquito control, or Malaria control, as DDT, especially when many of the Malaria epidemics happen in rainy African seasons. However, most of the developed nations’ bans on DDT and fear of double standards prevent DDT from reaching those countries that need Malaria control assistance. The general opinion in the public of developed nations is that DDT is a foul product, and people believe in it so strongly that authorities fear to recommend it as a Malaria control option. One of the main reasons that America’s agency for international development does not support DDT is because of the societies’ strong dislike and un-comfortableness towards the product, as Peterson, a Usaid official says. Scientific research in the 50 years or so after Silent Spring was published, shows that if used properly, and not recklessly like people had before the toxic properties of DDT was discovered, there is minimal harm to humans and to the

Scientific research has shown that the amount needed to spray the insides of houses for Malaria control does not have major health impacts on humans, as the countries that do do this have not seen any noticeable health deterioration trends in regard to DDT use.

A social impact that influences these new DDT replacements, I use the term replacements because these new insecticides are seen are replacements for DDT in developed nations’ agriculture/residual uses, not replacements for the Malaria control in underdeveloped nations, is the rise of the Malaria death rate. When DDT was banned, and when I say ‘banned’ I mean the 1972 ban in America, scientists became anxious that there would never be an insecticide as inexpensive and efficient as DDT in mosquito control. Statistics show that death due to vector-borne diseases has dropped after DDT was used. For example, in Venezula, 817115 people were suffering or died from Malaria. 15