DDT CASE STUDY

DDT and malaria

DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) was first
recognised as a useful insecticide in 1939. It was found to
be particularly effective against insects which carry
disease - especially the mosquitoes which carry malaria.
Even today, every year 300 million people become infected with malaria and
more than a million of them die. Using DDT to kill the mosquitoes has almost
eliminated malaria from more than 20 countries with a total population of more
than a billion people.
The effect of using DDT is well illustrated by the example of India. Before the
use of DDT, there were more than 75 million cases of malaria every year, and
about a million deaths. Using DDT has reduced this to 5 million cases a year,
and only 5000 of these result in death. Malaria is still a major killer. In subSaharan Africa, 1 in 20 children still die from malaria.
The environmental case against DDT
In 1962 an important book was published called "Silent Spring" by Rachel
Carson. The name came from a worrying fall in the numbers of some birds. This
was found to be caused by pesticides like DDT which are only broken down very
slowly in the body or in the soil. They are described as "persistent organic
pesticides" or POPs. DDT has now been found all over the world, even in the
Arctic - far from where it was used.
DDT is a chlorinated hydrocarbon. These are very stable and are stored in body
fat. Animals and birds can accumulate more DDT from the food chain faster
than they can get rid of the DDT they already have in their bodies. The levels of
DDT in the body increase over time. One of the effects of this in birds is that it
causes them to lay eggs with very thin shells. These break easily before the
eggs can hatch.
Following this discovery, DDT was banned for use in agriculture for killing
insects on crops, but is still used in controlling malaria-carrying mosquitoes in
between 20 and 30 countries. Animal studies using rats and mice have shown
some harmful effects of DDT including a possible link with cancer and possible
effects on the immune system and the reproductive system.
On the other hand there is no definite proof of any harmful effects on humans
although DDT has been found in human blood and breast milk. This is despite
the fact that millions (or even billions) of people have been exposed to it over
long periods of time. Some studies have shown that there may be effects on
human development. Exposure may result in low birth weights or reduced
heights in children.

South Africa stopped using DDT because of worries about high levels of DDT in
blood and breast milk in the population. They used other insecticides to control
the malarial mosquitoes instead of DDT. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes quickly
became resistant to these other insecticides. South Africa had to start using
DDT again to avoid large numbers of deaths from malaria.

QUESTIONS

1. DDT is a chlorinated hydrocarbon. What do you understand by this term?

2. When India started to use DDT to control malarial mosquitoes, the number of people
getting malaria fell from 75 million cases a year to 5 million cases a year. It fell by a
factor of 15. The number of deaths fell from 1 million to 5000 a year - a factor of 200.
Can you suggest any reasons why the number of deaths fell faster than the number of
people catching the disease?

3. Using chlorinated hydrocarbons like DDT resulted in a fall in numbers of some birds.
This was especially true of birds of prey like sparrowhawks and peregrine falcons.
Why do you think that these were particularly affected?

4. There is disagreement among scientists and others whether DDT should be banned
completely.
Make a list of the reasons why DDT should continue to be used, and a second list of
the reasons why it should be banned.

5. What do you think should be done about the use of DDT and the problem of
malaria?
Remember that the majority of countries which have a major malaria problem and still
use DDT are poor.
Explain your reasoning. (Answer on a separate sheet as an essay question)