Why is ddt good

The proposal of a deadline drew considerable public attention to the scope of the world's malaria problem and the need to implement alternatives to DDT. However, it also raised fears that DDT would be phased out without sufficient guarantees of protection of public health from malaria. To allay these fears, WWF has set aside discussion of the deadline, while retaining its commitment to eliminating DDT. WWF welcomes this historic agreement which involved provisions for phasing out DDT, while still allowing for its continued limited use for malaria control.

Evidence continues to accumulate about the dangerous health effects associated with DDT. The treaty provisions appropriately balance the need to reduce these hazards while promoting stronger malaria control programs.

The accord states that "with the goal of reducing, and ultimately eliminating the use of DDT," individual countries may continue to use the chemical for controlling malaria. However, these countries will also be encouraged to prepare national implementation plans to reduce their reliance on DDT. Specifically, the national plans would promote methods for reducing illegal uses of DDT, such as agricultural applications. When a mosquito strain that had previously been eliminated returned to South Africa, it was resistant to the pyrethroid insecticides that had replaced DDT.

Cases soared from 4, in to 64, in The scientists also recommended study of possible health effects of pyrethroids and other alternatives for DDT. Their goal was "to address the current and legacy implications of DDT production and use," according to their report.

Acknowledging that some areas remain dependent on DDT, they recommended monitoring of the spraying to ensure that usage guidelines are followed and improved application techniques. This article originally ran at Environmental Health News , a news source published by Environmental Health Sciences, a nonprofit media company. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Official websites use.

Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. JavaScript appears to be disabled on this computer. Please click here to see any active alerts. DDT dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane was developed as the first of the modern synthetic insecticides in the s. It was initially used with great effect to combat malaria, typhus, and the other insect-borne human diseases among both military and civilian populations.

It also was effective for insect control in crop and livestock production, institutions, homes, and gardens. Le Boeuf said the turbulent El Nino current churns up sediment in the Channel Islands, dosing everything from benthic worms to bald eagles.

These sudden, large doses of DDT also make the fish inedible for humans. LeBoeuf and other scientists knew of the occasional DDT spikes in coastal areas of California, but they had no measure of the normal levels of contamination in marine animals. From to , Lieberg-Clark was involved in the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, which deals with dead marine mammals that wash up on shore. Through the network, she had access to the tissues of seals and sea lions from all over the California coast.

Working with biologist Wally Jarman at UC Santa Cruz, and supported by Le Boeuf, she began to measure pesticide levels in the animal tissues she collected. The levels had dropped so much I questioned whether the data was right. The amount of DDT in the sea lions Lieberg-Clark analyzed had fallen to less than 1 percent of that measured in ; from parts per million to 5.

Jarman cautions that the amount of DDT they found in sea lions is not low, just lower than what Le Boeuf measured years ago. There was so much DDT produced and used, and still used in Asian, African and some Latin American countries that there's a background level," Jarman said, "I'm not saying it's high or harmful, it's just there, but we definitely do not see a population effect anymore for sea lions. The incredible recovery of the animals that were most affected by DDT is a clear sign that what we do makes a difference.

If we continue to use chemical pesticides, we could see another crisis in wildlife and even human health. The harm is not so clear as in the heyday of DDT when whole species were being decimated, though many of compounds we still use in agriculture are known to reduce fertility and impair the immune system. The DDT story is proof that we can reverse some of the damage if we choose.

Sea lions are just one example of recovery. Peregrine falcons returned from the brink of extinction. At one time, only two breeding pairs lived in California. Their populations today are growing, although they still suffer some reproductive problems due to eggshell thinning.