As of 2007, seventy percent of malaria cases were found in Africa. (Sadasivaiah, 2007) Eleven countries in Africa, 7 in Asia, and 5 in Latin America use dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane or DDT for vector control (Turusov, 2002). DDT was banned for use in the United States and other countries and is one of 12 chemicals identified as a persistent organic pollutant that can be harmful to humans and animals. However, in many parts of the world, DDT is the most effective and efficient way to kill vectors that carry malaria. (WHO, 2007). The World Health Organization (“WHO”) determined in 2000 that a reevaluation of studies showed levels of exposure reported in prior studies were below levels of concern for human health (WHO, 2007). The WHO reevaluates whether using DDT for ISR continues to be a safe and effective control every two years. There are many factors to consider when making such a determination. The toxicological effects to humans and environment should be of major concern.
It is important to understand how DDT impacts the body. DDT can be very toxic to both humans and animals and this is why there is concern for continuing to use this chemical. This concern led to its limited restricted use. It is continued to be used because it is so effective in certain parts of the world where other methods have failed, and the costs of malaria outweigh the risks of using DDT. DDT can be toxic to humans because humans store the compound in our body fat. In fact, “no living organism may be considered DDT-free” (Turusov, 2002). Studies have shown that there is DDT residue in human milk and mothers are then passing the substance to their children. It is believed this is a factor in rising cases of different types of cancer and h...
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AAgency of Toxic Substances and Disease Registry[ATSDR].(2002). Toxicological profile for DDT, DDE and DDD. Washington DC. Public Health Service: Department of Health and Human Services.
CDC (2010). Documentation for immediately dangerous to life or health concentrations: DDT. Retrieved on September, 2, 2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/idlh/50293.HTML
World Health Organization [WHO]. (2007). The use of DDT in malarial vector control: WHO position statement. Retrieved on September 1, 2011 from http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2007/WHO_HTM_GMP_2007_eng.pdf
Vladimir Turusov, Valery Rakitsky, Lorenzo Tomatis , “Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT): Ubiquity, Persistence, and Risks”, Environmental Health Perspectives, VOLUME 110 | NUMBER 2 | February 2002 Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1240724/pdf/ehp0110-000125.pdf
This last process is significant not only because it brought dioxin the current notoriety but it also is a chemical process used to make products that were used and are still been used in many applications. These applications include pesticide, herbicide, defoliating agent such as Agent Orange, cleaning agent and electrical insulation. Consequently, human exposure to dioxin is not a recent phenomenon and the dangers of dioxin are not unknown. Only in recent years, especially after the Vietnam War, has the media concentrated on the dangers and impact of dioxin.
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
DeArmond, Stephen J., M.D., Ph.D., Safar, Jiri, M.D., Groth, Darlene, A.B., Prusiner, Stanley B., M.D. “Prions” Office of Health and Safety. 28 July 2006 < www.cdc.gov/od/ohs/biosfty/bmbl4/bmbl4s7d.htm>.
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.
"Chemical Warfare Agents - Resources on the health effects from chemical weapons, emergency response & treatment, counterterrorism, and emergency preparedness.au.af." Specialized Information Services - Reliable information on toxicology, environmental health, chemistry, HIV/AIDS, and minority health. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2010.
The premise of Theo Colborns’ research was to find the connection between the rising incidences of cancer and environmental contamination in the Great Lakes region. However, during field and laboratory studies, Colborn discovered that there was no direct link between the contamination and cancer. However, Colborn did find reoccurring patterns of abnormal behavior and deformed offspring amongst the wildlife populations in the Great Lakes region. Elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenls (PCBs), pesticides dieldrin, DDT, lindane and chlordane were found during tissue analysis of the wildlife in the Great Lakes region (Colborn et. Al 1996). These elevated levels were found in offspring of the wildlife who appeared to be healthy. This supported Colborns’ hypothesis that these contaminations disrupt hormones produced by the endocrine system during growth and development, which will then cause physical and behavioral abnormalities in the fetus.
EPA. (2009, December 29). Retrieved January 15, 2011, from Toxicity and Exposure Assessment for Children's Health: http://www.epa.gov/teach/
Chemical pollution into the environment can cause both genotypic and phenotypic changes in many organisms, including humans. More specifically, environmental pollutants like BPA can act as xenoestrogens (estrogen imitators), ultimately affecting hormonal activity and production in an organism. This alteration in activity and production can be termed as endocrine disruption. The endocrine system regulates a variety of processes responsible for growth and development, including gonadal formation and function, digestion, metabolism, sex differentiation, and embryonic development (reviewed by Flint et al., 2012). Chemicals that interfere with the function or structure of the endocrine system can be defined as endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) (US Environmental Protection Agency, 2007).
However, after the war DDT was used by farmers in the U.S. and all over the world to ward off pest from their crops. DDT heavily affects wildlife in many ways. In a recent report that I did on the Bald Eagle, I discovered that DDT played a huge role as to why the Bald Eagle was listed on the Endangered Species list in 1967. It was discovered that DDT accumulates in fatty tissues and impairs the egg formation, making them thinner then normal, causing a decline in reproduction. This was not only the case for the Bald Eagle but also for a numerous amounts of other birds. Not only does DDT have an affect on birds but other mammals by attacking the nervous system and attacks aquatic life at the plasma membrane says Cruising Chemistry, a website used by Duke University. Throughout “ Silent Springs “ Carson gives multiple examples of the unpredicted dangers of DDT. One example is when she discusses a real problem that occurred at Michigan State University
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.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, (FWS). (2014, January 15). Pesticides and wild life. Retrieved form http://www.fws.gov/contaminants/info/ddt.html
By the time naturalists learned of DDT's effect on wildlife, it was almost too late.
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.
Each year there are 10,000 pesticide related poisonings. On July 4th 1985, over 300 Californians became sick after eating watermelons treated with the pesticide tenik. Testing supermarket produce is a way of determining the amount of exposure the consumer receives through common produce like carrots, tomatoes and lettuce. 44% of foods that were tested in supermarkets were found to have some traces of pesticide residue on them. Of all the pesticides found, nineteen of them were a pesticide called DDT. DDT was banned in this country 12 years prior to the testing. It was believed that these chemicals might have entered this country from another country that doesn’t have pesticide restrictions as the U.S. does.