Environmental
Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane (DDT) is a synthetic insecticide that has been around since the late 1800s. It was once termed the "miracle pesticide" and was instrumental in eradicating malaria from Europe and North America. DDT was very instrumental in controlling mosquito-borne disease around the time of World War II, after which it became widely available as an agricultural insecticide. The book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson led to a large public outcry regarding the harmful effects of DDT on wildlife. This outcry eventually resulted in a ban of DDT in the United States in 1972. Although DDT is still used in some countries, the Stockholm Convention has limited the insecticide's use to malaria control as part of a decision to restrict a group of chemicals known as the "Dirty Dozen." A goal of the Stockholm Convention is to stop production of DDT by 2017; however, not everyone agrees that DDT should be banned because of its efficacy in controlling malaria.
Search for a wide selection of scholarly information on DDT and malaria. See instructions below. Points for you to consider in your search for information should include the following:
- What is the impact of malaria in terms of health, mortality, and economics?
- How does DDT work to control malaria?
- What has the body of research actually shown regarding the toxicity of DDT to humans (and wildlife)?
- What malaria control alternatives exist now and how do they compare to DDT in terms of cost, function, efficacy, and toxicity?
- Who are the stakeholders and what are the various positions they take on this controversy?