The results of the analysis of many studies all support the working hypothesis. This means the usage of DDT is far more risky and health hazardous to justify its use as an IRS fighting agent against malaria. The results of each of the articles and journals selected will be described in the order of Case-control studies, followed by cohorts, then cross-sectionals and lastly literature reviews.
The first study is by Rignell-Hydbom; et al. looked at the exposure to DDT as a risk factor for type 2 Diabetes. The study was performed within a well-defined cohort of women (n=6917) with ages between 50-59 from the southern part of Sweden. The study used 107 cases out of a total 371 cases. They stored serum samples for at least three years before type 2 diabetes was diagnosed 17. In order to evaluate the risk of developing type 2 diabetes with DDT exposure, the study used a conditional logistic regression and also took an odds ratio as a risk measure with 95% confidence intervals 17. In the 107/371 cases DDT was not associated with an increased risk to develop type 2 diabetes. The study did find a set of cases (n=39) that were diagnosed more than six years after their base line examination compared with their controlled studies. The women in the highest quartile showed an increased risk to develop type 2 diabetes 17. Overall there was a 46% higher mean concentration of DDT compared with the controls 17. The study resulted in 5.5 [95% CI 1.2, 25] for DDT was obtained 17.
Another study by author Bräuner EV et al. looked at organochlorines in adipose tissue and risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). 160,725 persons ranging from the ages of 50-64 were invited to participate in the prospective Diet, Cancer and Health study 2. A total of 57,05...
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...ent among children 3.5-5 years of age. Environ Health Perspect. 2013 Feb;121(2):263-8. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1205034. Epub 2012 Nov 13. Retrieved From http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23151722
22. Valvi D, Mendez MA, Martinez D, Grimalt JO, Torrent M, Sunyer J, Vrijheid M. Prenatal concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls, DDE, and DDT and overweight in children: a prospective birth cohort study. Environ Health Perspect. 2012 Mar;120(3):451-7. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1103862. Epub 2011 Oct 25. Retrieved From http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22027556
23. WHO. The use of DDT in malaria vector control. 2011. Geneva: World Health Organization. Retrieved From http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2011/WHO_HTM_GMP_2011_eng.pdf
24. WHO. World malaria report 2013. 2014. S.l.: World Health Organization. Retrieved From http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/97008/1/9789241564694_eng.pdf
By the name of “superspecies” we try to change the world feature and control the nature with science. With science, a lot of technology has been invented to support people demand for products. Without anticipation about the bad consequences, sometime the invention is causing more damaged than it provide in later on. In 1930, DDT that use for killing insect was discovered by Paul Mueller, working for the chemical company Geigy in Switzerland. For this reason, the benefits of using DDT became immediately obvious (65). Years letter, the unbelievable side effect of using DDT was found. While Biologists investigated the decline of eagles and hawks, they discovered the hitherto phenomenon of “biomagnification”, which compounds gather as they are ingested up the food chain (67). DDT phenomenon proves that thinking like science is only to understand the world in separate pieces. It is lack of understanding the rhythms, patterns and cycles of the nature. Therefore, we need to think beyond the science to see the connections between us and nature because in the reality this world is the world of
The pesticide DDT banned in 1987 was a detrimental to the environment leading to it to be banned in 1987. DDT remains in the soils for a long period of time. The chemicals affect the ecology of the soil and water run off causing contamination of livestock and native animals and aquatic species. Studies indicated a range of human health impacts from DDT including cancers, infertility, miscarriage and nervous system impairment. The social and economic impact of DDT use in viticulture was significant.
Two case-control 4,5, two nested case-control2,6 and two cohort1,7 studies reported estimates for the association between Tetrachloroethylene (TCE) exposure and primary liver cancer. A non-significant association was found between occupational solvent exposure and primary liver cancer among one case-control study, while the other observed a significant association. Hemberg et al. found the odds ratio (OR) for heavy/moderate exposure compared with little/no exposure was 2.3 (95% CI: 0.8, 7.0). The association was confined to women (exact Fisher’s chi-square p=0.007) with the men having a non-significant odds ratio of 0.5. Stemhagen et al. found that among men, the OR for working laundry or dry cleaning compared to not working in that occupation was 2.50 (95% CI: 1.02,...
EPA. (2009, December 29). Retrieved January 15, 2011, from Toxicity and Exposure Assessment for Children's Health: http://www.epa.gov/teach/
Hu, F. B., Manson, J. E., Stampfer, M. J., Colditz, G., Liu, S., Solomon, C. G., & Willett, W. C. (2001). Diet, lifestyle, and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in women. New England Journal of Medicine, 345(11), 790-797.
The manner in which a teratogen impacts the developing human may vary, though nicotine, caffine and medication consumption are all directly related to physical development. These are examples of habitual teratogens, each contributing to low birth weight and behavioral problems in adolescents. The level of influence of any given teratogen depends on many factors; the first, called the “threshold effect,” occurs when a relatively harmless teratogen in small quantity becomes toxic at a spe...
Darwin would be delighted to find the insect population proves his theory of survival of the fittest. Chemical spraying kills off the weaker insects and allows the stronger ones to survive who are more and more resistant to sprays. It was DDT, Carson says, that ushered in “The Age of Resistance” (p. 233) as the genetics of insects even far from spraying sites registered the information that insecticides were not lethal to them. Resistance is developing so fast it has become a health crisis, in terms of mosquitoes, ticks, lice, cockroaches, and other vectors of disease. One method of dealing with the problem is to keep switching insecticides, but that has a limited success. Chemical companies keep inventing
DDT is an organochlorine insecticide that is absorbed through surface contact and kills by poisoning the nervous system (Pesticide Action Network UK 2012). It has become highly effective in combating insect-borne human diseases among military and civilian populations (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2011). Currently, through the Stockholm Convention, which was signed during the United Nations Environment Programme 2002, 12 chemicals have been banned, one of which is DDT. However, production and usage was granted to control disease vectors provided recommendations and guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO) were adhered to, until locally safe, effective and affordable alternatives were available (van den Berg 2009). Thus, this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the usage of DDT to combat malaria and addresses the controversies surrounding this method by looking at how it affects humans and the environment.
In his short story, “Top of the Food Chain”, T.C. Boyle effectively argues that humans are destroying their planet with chemicals and that the general consensus of the public is that it is okay. He argues this efficaciously through the use of rhetorical and satirical devices, which are used throughout his story. Overall, I agree with Boyle’s argument that DDT is an especially harmful chemical to our planet, and while it may have had a place at one time, there is no need for it any longer.
During recent years, numerous newspaper and magazine articles have suggested that humans may be at risk because small amounts of well known environmental contaminants, such as dioxin, PCBs and DDT, can affect hormone levels. Hormones are produced by the endocrine system as regulators of biological function in target organs. Because hormones play a critical role in early development, toxicological effects on the endocrine system often have an impact on the reproductive system. The term endocrine disruptor is used to describe chemicals that can mimic hormones and may either enhance or counteract their effects. It has been suggested that these hormone changes can, in turn, lead to a variety of health problems including cancer, decreased fertility, and abnormalities in newborns.
Magliano, DJ, Shaw, JE, Shortreed, SM, Nusselder, WJ, Liew, D, Barr, EL, Zimmet, PZ & Peeters, A 2008, ‘Lifetime risk and projected population prevalence of diabetes’, Diabetologia, vol.51, pp.2179-2186, viewed 15th May 2011.
DDT has been proven to lower the number of malaria caused deaths. For example India’s malaria of 800 000 a year death rate was cut to zero by the late 1960s. In Sri Lanka DDT was reduced to 2.8 million cases a year to just 17. (Dyson, J) The US National Academy of Sciences in 1970 stated that DDT had prevented millions of deaths that would have been inevitable. Small amounts of DDT can affect small microorganisms. (Duke.edu) DDT microorganisms don’t usually die, they tend to keep the DDT in themselves this makes it bad for those predators who eat these organisms.
Another study measured the levels of flame retardants in both mothers’ prenatal and their children’ serums, and found that high concentrations of flame retardants like polybrominated diphenyl ethers were associated with a poorer attention than normal, slower cognitive development, and motor coordination difficulties. (Hamers, 2017)
While the lasting impacts of POPs have yet to be fully understood, scientists do know that the widespread use of POPs in the mid-twentieth century continue to impact the environment today. (Travelling Toxics) Emily Carson began her studies of pesticides and insecticides in the early 1950s and found residues of chemicals lingering in soil where they were applied dozens of years before. (Elixirs of Death) Additionally, it was as early as 1950 that scientists of the Food and Drug Administration declared that it is “extremely likely the potential hazard of DDT has been underestimated.” (Elixirs of Death) The results of both of these findings were that the negative the impacts of the accumulation of POPs first became apparent, however, there was nothing done to address the problem until much later. (Travelling Toxics) As a result, the environmental destruction only increased, until reaching a contamination peak in the 1970s. (travelling toxics) An early example of the destruction caused by POPs was found in Canada’s North in 1988, where scientists found elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) in wildlife and humans. (Changing environment, changing times) Women from Broughton Island, the North West Territories and northern Quebec were found to have five times the levels
In recent years it has become clear that some environmental chemicals can cause risks to the developing embryo and fetus. Evaluating the developmental toxicity of environmental chemicals is now a prominent public health concern. The suspected association between TCE and congenital cardiac malformations warrants special attention because TCE is a common drinking water contaminant that is detected in water supplies throughout the U.S. and the world. There is a lot of concern about the clean up of toxic pollutants from the environment.