Pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT is not helping the already poor soil quality in many parts of the country.

DDT ( dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane ) is an organochlorine insecticide which is a white, crystalline solid, tasteless, and almost odorless.

Along with the passage of the Endangered Species Act, the US ban on DDT is cited by scientists as a major factor in the comeback of the bald eagle, the national bird of the United States, from near-extinction in the contiguous US.

DDT is similar in structure to the insecticide methoxychlor and the acaricide dicofol.

DDT does not occur naturally, but is produced by the reaction of chloral () with chlorobenzene () in the presence of sulfuric acid, which acts as a catalyst.

Commercial DDT is a mixture of several closely – related compounds.

The term " total DDT " is often used to refer to the sum of all DDT related compounds ( p, p '- DDT, o, p '- DDT, DDE, and DDD ) in a sample.

India is the only country still manufacturing DDT, with China having ceased production in 2007.

DDT resistance is also conferred by up-regulation of genes expressing cytochrome P450 in some insect species.

DDT is the best-known of several chlorine-containing pesticides used in the 1940s and 1950s.

DDT is applied to the inside walls of homes to kill or repel mosquitoes.

DDT is a persistent organic pollutant that is readily adsorbed to soils and sediments, which can act both as sinks and as long-term sources of exposure contributing to terrestrial organisms.

DDT is toxic to a wide range of living organisms, including marine animals such as crayfish, daphnids, sea shrimp and many species of fish.

There is also evidence that o, p '- DDT disrupts female reproductive tract development, impairing eggshell quality later.

It is an endocrine disruptor ; The DDT metabolite DDE acts as an antiandrogen ( but not as an estrogen ).

While the agency is currently funding the use of DDT in some African countries, in the past it did not.

" USAID's Kent R. Hill states that the agency has been misrepresented: " USAID strongly supports spraying as a preventative measure for malaria and will support the use of DDT when it is scientifically sound and warranted.

Pyrethroids such as deltamethrin are also more expensive than DDT, but are applied more sparingly ( 0. 02-0. 3 g / m < sup > 2 </ sup > vs 1-2 g / m < sup > 2 </ sup >), so the net cost per house is about the same over 6 months.

The relative effectiveness of IRS ( with DDT or alternative insecticides ) versus other malaria control techniques ( e. g. bednets or prompt access to anti-malarial drugs ) varies greatly and is highly dependent on local conditions.

soil pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT ; energy blockade, the result of conflict with Azerbaijan, has led to deforestation when citizens scavenged for firewood ; pollution of Hrazdan ( Razdan ) and Araks Rivers ; the draining of Sevana Lich ( Lake Sevan ), a result of its use as a source for hydropower, threatens drinking water supplies ; restart of Metsamor nuclear power plant without adequate ( IAEA-recommended ) safety and backup systems

Advocates of increased use of DDT in IRS claim that alternative insecticides are more expensive, more toxic, or not as effective.

In 1962, marine biologist and ecologist Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring helped to mobilize the environmental movement by alerting the public to toxic pesticides, such as DDT, bioaccumulating in the environment.

DDT is highly toxic to aquatic life, including crayfish, daphnids, sea shrimp and many species of fish.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the main threats to Osprey populations were egg collectors and hunting of the adults along with other birds of prey, but Osprey populations declined drastically in many areas in the 1950s and 1960s ; this appeared to be in part due to the toxic effects of insecticides such as DDT on reproduction.

Such substances, known as persistent organic pollutants ( POPs ), include a number of chemicals that are known to have adverse effects on fetal development given the level and timing of exposure: polychlorinated biphenyls ( PCBs ), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans and organochlorine insecticides such as DDT are examples of such compounds that can be toxic to the fetus at high enough doses.

Alternatives were found to be less effective or more toxic to plants and animals, until 1947 when DDT was found.

With pyrethrum in short supply, DDT was used extensively during World War II by the Allies to control the insect vectors of typhus — nearly eliminating the disease in many parts of Europe.

By the time DDT was introduced in the U. S., the disease had already been brought under control by a variety of other means.

Degradation of DDT to form DDE ( by elimination of HCl, left ) and DDD ( by reductive dechlorination, right )

Due to hydrophobic properties, in aquatic ecosystems DDT and its metabolites are absorbed by aquatic organisms and adsorbed on suspended particles, leaving little DDT dissolved in the water itself.

DDT and its breakdown products are transported from warmer regions of the world to the Arctic by the phenomenon of global distillation, where they then accumulate in the region's food web.

Before DDT, malaria was successfully eradicated or curtailed in several tropical areas by removing or poisoning mosquito breeding grounds and larva habitats, for example by filling or applying oil to standing water.

It is similar to the earlier mentioned study regarding estimated theoretical infant mortality caused by DDT and subject to the criticism also mentioned earlier.

* DDT, Eggshells, and Me Article from Reason magazine by Ronald Bailey.

* ' Andrew Spielman, Harvard School of Public Health, discusses environmentally friendly control of Malaria and uses of DDT Freeview video provided by the Vega Science Trust

Among those chemicals were DDT, banned by international convention, and several defoliants and herbicides.

Even larger epidemics in the post-war chaos of Europe were only averted by the widespread use of the newly discovered DDT to kill the lice on millions of refugees and displaced persons.

Birds include Osprey, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle and Peregrine Falcon, the last two of which were threatened by DDT ; their numbers plummeted but have risen in recent years.

You can create an application's Graphical user interface using the Windows API, or by using the inbuilt DDT language extensions.

According to the The Dedalus Book of Absinthe by Phil Baker, it was made by combining gin with a pinch of DDT ( also known as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane ), an insecticide that would later be banned in most countries ; consumers of this concoction claimed that its effects were similar to absinthe.

391, 395, 428 F. 2d 1093, 1097 ( interest in health affected by decision of Secretary of Agriculture refusing to suspend registration of certain pesticides containing DDT ).