DDT (Dichlorodiphenyl-Trichloroacetic Acid) - Ddt And Other Chlorinated Hydrocarbons, Uses Of Ddt, Environmental Effects Of The Use Of Ddt
predators especially ecological water
Dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroacetic acid (or DDT) is a chlorinated hydrocarbon that has been widely used as an insecticide. DDT is virtually insoluble in water, but is freely soluble in oils and in the fat of organisms. DDT is also persistent in the environment. The combination of persistence and lipid solubility means that DDT biomagnifies, occurring in organisms in preference to the nonliving environment, especially in predators at the top of ecological food webs. Environmental contamination by DDT and related chemicals is a widespread problem, including the occurrence of residues in wildlife, in drinking water, and in humans. Ecological damage has included the poisoning of wildlife, especially avian predators.
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Chlorinated hydrocarbons are a diverse group of synthetic compounds of carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine, used as pesticides and for other purposes. DDT is a particular chlorinated hydrocarbon with the formula 2,2-bis-(p-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane. The insecticidal relatives of DDT include DDD, aldrin, dieldrin, heptachlor, and methoxychlor. DDE is a related non-insecticidal chemical, and an…
DDT was first synthesized in 1874. Its insecticidal qualities were discovered in 1939 by Paul Muller, a Swiss scientist who won a Nobel Prize in medicine in 1948 for his research on the uses of DDT. The first important use of DDT was for the control of insect vectors of human diseases during and following World War II. At about that time the use of DDT to control insect pests in agriculture and fo…
As is the case with many actions of environmental management, there have been both benefits and costs associated with the use of DDT. Moreover, depending on socio-economic and ecological perspectives, there are large differences in the perceptions by people of these benefits and costs. The controversy over the use of DDT and other insecticides can be illustrated by quoting two famous persons. Afte…
Another environmental feature of DDT is its ubiquitous distribution in at least trace concentrations everywhere in the biosphere. This global contamination with DDT, and related chlorinated hydrocarbons such as PCBs, occurs because they enter into the atmospheric cycle and thereby become very widely distributed. This results from: (1) a slow evaporation of DDT from sprayed surfaces; (2) off-target…
Some poisonings of wildlife were directly caused by exposure to sprays of DDT. There were numerous cases of dying or dead birds being found after the spraying of DDT, for example, after its use in residential areas to kill the beetle vectors of Dutch elm disease in North America. Spray rates for this purpose were large, about 1.5-3.0 lb (1.0-1.5 kg) of DDT per tree, and resulted in residues in ear…
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