DDT, Gone but Still Persisting…

Fifty years ago the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior used broad spectrum pesticides to try to eliminate pests that damaged crops and were hurting our forests. They sprayed tons of DDT from aircraft deployed systems. It did little to defeat the targeted species…as they were already at work and had laid their eggs before being exposed, but the environmental destruction was wide spread.

DDT was considered valuable because it was inexpensive to manufacture, could be deployed easily, and had an extended life in the field, which meant that it would work well over extended seasons and support reducing target populations over longer periods than other pesticides.

Today DDT is not allowed to be used in the United States, and most developed nations have banned it as well. It is, however, still used in South America, Africa, and Asia to combat different infestations and to reduce disease carrying pests that spread malaria and other infections.The US EPA removed DDT from service in the early 70s when it was classified as a probable human carcinogen by U.S. and international authorities. Specifically, DDT is:

• known to be very persistent* in the environment
• will accumulate in fatty tissues, and
• can travel long distances in the upper atmosphere.

The half-life* of DDT is projected at 15 years, that means that it persists in the environment, slowly losing power over time. And today, 45 years after it was taken off of our shelves, it can still be found in our soil and our water.

Using toxins for mass elimination of one or two insect species proved foolish. There was no protection for the thousands of other lifeforms exposed to these poisons, and many animals died along with the bugs. Fish were effected, too, as the sprays blanked streams and lakes, along with the land. Research today has found that there are DDT deposits in the beds below our ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers.

And though we can’t use DDT in the United States, we are allowed to manufacture it for international shipments, which means that it is being used in developing nations. Air deployed systems spray into the atmosphere, and the result is that the fine spray often lifts to the clouds, delivering it to far away regions the world over.

DDT isn't the only persistent organic pesticide of concern, there are many more being distributed and sprayed today in the USA and throughout the world. These products are primarily developed by the petrochemical industry, and they represent a major part of their market, and their profit. The necessary changes to regulations, for production and use, need to be enacted to counter the impact these toxins continue to have and the damage they are doing to our home (planet Earth).

Joni Mitchell may have said it best in her song "Yellow Taxi",   "...give me spots on my apples, but leave me the birds and the bees!..."