Our story begins in 1874 when DDT was first synthesized by Othmar Zeidler. It wasn’t until Swiss chemist Paul Herman Mueller discovered its use as an insecticide in 1939 that it became popular for use. After this discovery, DDT was used everywhere for just about every reason, with very little testing prior to its release to consumers. Mueller was later awarded a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1948 for his breakthrough discovery.
DDT was used in abundance by the Allies during World War II to control malaria and typhus among troops as well as civilians. By 1945 it was being used by the government, farmers, and housewives in a variety of applications. It was used on vegetable crops, fruit fields and trees, fields for steer and dairy cows, and food processing plants. In the home, DDT was used as a fly spray, mosquito spray, ant poison. DDT was popular because it could kill anything and it was very effective in doing so. Women were encouraged to spray it in their cupboards, on beds, and in children's rooms. A company called Trimz came out with DDT wallpaper for children's rooms. Ads at the time featured singing animals, vegetables, and a housewife. “DDT is good for Me-e-e!” was the jingle at the time.
In 1962 marine biologist and environmentalist Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, a book that changed everything. Her book outlined the negative environmental impact of DDT use. She argued that pesticides are poison and are bad for the environment, insects, animals, and humans. By design, DDT kills insects, including beneficial pollinators. It affects fish and birds, and wildlife that eat insects, fish, and birds. Silent Spring inspired an environmental movement and lead to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. By 1972 the use of DDT was banned for agricultural use in the United States.
DDT is notorious for its particularly negative impact on birds of prey, specifically the bald eagle. DDT disrupts the female reproductive tract and impairs the quality of the shell. The eggs laid are thin and when the bird sits on them to keep them warm, they break and it dies. This caused a major decline in the population of the bald eagle as well as the brown pelican, peregrine falcon, and the osprey.
Between 1950 and 1980, 40,000 tonnes were used in agriculture worldwide. Since the 1940s 1.8 million tonnes has been produced globally. India is the only country still manufacturing DDT.
DDT absorbs into the soil, sediment, and aquatic organisms. DDT has a half-life in soil estimated to be between 22 days and 30 years. It has an aquatic half-life of up to 150 years. It has a half-life in humans between 6 and 10 years. In a 2005 study by the CDC, DDT was detected in nearly all human blood samples. DDT is an endocrine disruptor and carcinogen. It is passed through breast milk. There is a suspected link between DDT and breast cancer, particularly in women born before 1931 due to the heavy use of DDT between 1945 and 1950 in which they would have been 14-20 years old.
My two cents: When will we learn our lesson? It’s pretty stupid to spray pesticide all over the place and not think it will cause a problem down the road. It seems common sense that something that kills as its intended purpose will have ill effects on anything it comes into contact with.
Rating: I give the story of DDT three out of five possible slow claps for wreaking havoc on the environment and for being stupid on a Tuesday.
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