Figure 1: Farmer spraying dam with DDT

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane = DDT

Figure 2: Chemical Structure of DDT

Organochlorine insecticide White, crystalline solid, tasteless and almost odourless

Metabolised /catabolised to DDE Soil half-life ranges from 22 days to 30 years (reduced by counteracting with green algae extract) Considered toxic and harmful to the environment Rats: LD50 = 113mg/kg

Figure 3: DDT Can

First synthesized in 1874 - properties were not discovered until 1939 Second part of World War II, used to control malaria and typhus among civilians and troops Swiss chemist Paul Hermann Mller was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1948

"for his discovery of the high efficiency of DDT as a contact poison against several arthropods. [3]

After the war, DDT was made available for use as an agricultural insecticide Production and use skyrocketed in USA, CHINA and INDIA [4]

Figure 4: Advertisement for DDT

Silent Spring, by American biologist Rachel Carson, was published in 1962 Book catalogued the environmental impacts of the indiscriminate spraying of DDT in the US Caused:
cancer in humans decrease in biodiversity in wildlife (birds)
Figure 5: DDT exposure

Banned in US in 1972

DDT was subsequently banned for agricultural use worldwide under the Stockholm Convention, but its limited use in disease vector control continues to this day and remains controversial [6,7]

INSECTS:

absorbed through sensory organs in exoskeleton or GIT it opens sodium ion channels in neurons (CNS and PNS)

spontaneously stimulated neurons spasms and causes eventual death (irregular vital organ stimulation; SNS and PNS)

Insects with certain mutations in their sodium channel gene are resistant to DDT DDT resistance is also conferred by up-regulation of genes expressing cytochrome P450 in some insect species [6]
Figure 6: Mosquito

ANIMALS:
DDT has lipophilic properties (accumulates in

adipose tissue)

High potential to bio-accumulate through the food

chain

Apex predators e.g. raptor birds concentrate more

DDT than other animals in the same environment

Birds eggshell thinning Amphibians toxic in larval phase

HUMANS:

Half-life ranges from 6 10 yrs

Figure 7: Soldier Sprayed with DDT

1. Directly genotoxic [8] Also indircetly induce apoptotic enzymes to produce other genotoxic intermediates and DNA adducts

2. Endocrine disruptor [8] DDT metabolite DDE acts as an anti-androgen (though in some rare cases have proved mildestrogen activity)
Disruption:

MEN semen quality WOMEN menstruation (usually causes infertility) - gestational length - duration of lactation

3.

Other:
Associated with neurological dysfunctions e.g. Parkinsons Disease Asthma Cancer: liver, pancreas (associated with Type II Diabetes), testicles, ovaries and breasts

Figure 8: Breast Cancer

Studies done at the University of California suggests that in vitro exposure of mice and zebra fish may cause [9]:

abnormal neural development or complete neurotoxicity in embryo development

Humans [9]:

Low levels of DDT in umbilical serum are associated with decreased attention (ADD) and decreased cognitive functions at infancy First trimester exposure to DDE may result in retarded psychomotor development

A Japanese study of congenital hypo- and hyperthyroidism concluded that in utero DDT exposure may affect thyroid function resulting in hypo-/hyperthyroidism [10]:

abnormal levels of T3 and T4 can increase the incidence and/or causation of cretinism

Research done by The Lancet has shown that exposure to DDT (at amounts that would be needed in malaria control) may cause [11]:

preterm birth low birth weight early weaning shorten lactation and weaning malnutrition at infancy

Study done of Chinese textile workers in 1964 found that pregnant women (mostly in first trimester) exposed to DDT in factories, had a 64% increase in miscarriages [12]

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

DDT is a toxic and environmentally harmful chemical Lipophilic accumulative MOA causes worsening effects at higher levels in the food chain Causes decremented effects in reproductive system of adults resulting in: abnormal reproductively (male and female), Miscarriage, premature birth, decreased neurological functioning and/or abnormal endocrine activity in infancy

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

9.
10. 11. 12. 13.

Toxicological Profile: for DDT, DDE, and DDE. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, September 2002. DDT and Its Derivatives. Geneva: World Health Organisation. 1989. p. 83. ISBN 92-4-1542837. NobelPrize.org: The Nobel Prize in Physiology of Medicine 1948 Accessed July 26, 2007. Environmental Health Criteria 9: DDT and its derivatives, World Health Organization, 1979. Lear, Linda (1997). Rachel Carson: Witness for Nature. New York: Henry Hoyten. Larson, Kim (December 1, 2007). "Bad Blood". On Earth (Winter 2008). Retrieved 2008-0605. Moyers, Bill (2007-09-21), Rachel Carson and DDT, retrieved 2011-03-05 Stokstad E (June 2007). "Species conservation. Can the bald eagle still soar after it is delisted?. Science 316 (5832): 168990. doi:10.1126/science.316.5832.1689. PMID 17588911. Geisz HN, Dickhut RM, Cochran MA, Fraser WR, Ducklow HW (2005). Melting Glaciers: A Probable Source of DDT to the Antarctic Marine Ecosystem". Environ. Sci. Technol. ASAP: 3958. doi:10.1021/es702919n. Retrieved 2008-05-07. DAVID, DAVID (July 4, 2008) McIntosh residents file suit against Ciba. Archived from the original on 2010-11-18. Retrieved 2008-07-07. Environmental Cleanup Site Information Database for Arkema (former Pennwalt) facility, Oregon DEQ, April 2009. Rosemary, Rosemary (2008-01-27). Tests shed light on how pCBSA got into St. Louis water

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