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DDT stands for Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane. Farmers used to use it as an insecticide (for the prevention of lice) but the United States banned the use of DDT in 1972. Though there are still some nations that use this compound, it is not that common. Apart from this, it also helps control malaria-transmitting mosquitoes outside the US. DDT and its associated chemicals can survive for a long time in the atmosphere and animal tissues.
History of DDT
- In 1874 synthesis of DDT was done to suppress malaria and typhus among civilians and troops during world war 2.
- The most commonly used spray in the U.S in 1959, an amount of 386 million pounds of DDT was manufactured worldwide in 1970.
- In the early 1970s issues regarding the harmful effects of DDT were posed.
- The Agency for Environmental Protection banned the use of DDT in the U. S in 1973.
Structure of DDT and its operation
- The formula of DDT is C14H9Cl. Though it is soluble in mostly all organic solvents, it is insoluble in water.
- It forms naturally when chloral (CCl3CHO) interacts with chlorobenzene (C6H5Cl) in the presence of sulphuric acid [catalyst (H2SO4)].
- When one sprays a plant with DDT, it damages the nerves of insects living on the crops killing them eventually.
Effect of DDT
- Breast cancer
- Liver cancer
- Diabetes
- Cancer and tumor
- Harmful for a wide range of species, like mammals, birds, fish, and so on.
- Causes thinning of eggshells and low reproductive rate in birds.