What do ddt mean

Those dudes are DDT. They got weed. Miracle insecticide that almost completely wiped out malaria and similar diseases in the US and the third world. Rachel Carson published a poorly-researched paper in the 60s, reporting that DDT causes birds to produce thinner eggshells and possibly cancer. It largely triggered the envronmentalist movement in the US. Seperate studies have shown however that DDT has little or no impact on bird shells, let alone cancer.

DDT has been blamed falsely for declining populations in bald eagles , peregrine falcons and brown pelicans all without scientific basis. Concentration in humans doesn't even come close to causing adverse effects. Apes have been fed 30 X more DDT than people are normally exposed with no harmful effects whatsoever.

Furthermore, following the ban on DDT, more dangerous and less effective insecticides became commonplace. It was later concluded in a public hearing that "there is no scientific basis for the ban on DDT".

However, this ruling was vetoed by the EPA administrator without even reviewing a transcript. Most uses have been banned in the United States since Origin of ddt. Ddt Sentence Examples. Related articles. Also Mentioned In. The U. Department of Agriculture, the federal agency with responsibility for regulating pesticides before the formation of the U.

Environmental Protection Agency in , began regulatory actions in the late s and s to prohibit many of DDT's uses because of mounting evidence of the pesticide's declining benefits and environmental and toxicological effects.

The publication in of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring stimulated widespread public concern over the dangers of improper pesticide use and the need for better pesticide controls. In , 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. In addition, some animals exposed to DDT in studies developed liver tumors. As a result, today, DDT is classified as a probable human carcinogen by U. After the use of DDT was discontinued in the United States, its concentration in the environment and animals has decreased, but because of its persistence, residues of concern from historical use still remain.

Since , EPA has been participating in international negotiations to control the use of DDT and other persistent organic pollutants used around the world.