Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT)

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is a colourless, tasteless and odourless crystalline compound with insecticidal properties. It kills insects such as houseflies, mosquitoes and body lice, and historically it was used worldwide for controlling malaria and typhus by killing the mosquitoes and lice that spread these diseases. Exposure to high doses of DDT may cause vomiting, tremors or shakiness in humans, and laboratory animal studies have shown adverse effects of DDT on the liver and on reproduction. DDT is classified as a persistent organic pollutant: it is readily absorbed into soils and tends to accumulate progressively in the wider ecosystem rather than breaking down; when dissolved in oil or another liquid it is also readily absorbed through the skin, and because it is resistant to metabolism in the body, it accumulates in fatty tissue over time rather than being excreted. Because of all these adverse effects -- toxicity, persistence in the environment, and bioaccumulation in fatty tissue -- there is now a ban on the use of DDT in most countries, even though it was, for decades after its insecticidal effectivenes …