Biomonitoring data also help scientists plan and conduct research on exposure and health effects. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. National Biomonitoring Program. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate.
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane DDT Factsheet. Minus Related Pages. DDT exposure in people Exposure to DDT in people likely occurs from eating foods, including meat, fish, and dairy products. Environmental Protection Agency in , began regulatory actions in the late s and s to prohibit many of DDT's uses because of mounting evidence of the pesticide's declining benefits and environmental and toxicological effects.
The publication in of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring stimulated widespread public concern over the dangers of improper pesticide use and the need for better pesticide controls. In , EPA issued a cancellation order for DDT based on its adverse environmental effects, such as those to wildlife, as well as its potential human health risks.
Since then, studies have continued, and a relationship between DDT exposure and reproductive effects in humans is suspected, based on studies in animals. In addition, some animals exposed to DDT in studies developed liver tumors. As a result, today, DDT is classified as a probable human carcinogen by U. After the use of DDT was discontinued in the United States, its concentration in the environment and animals has decreased, but because of its persistence, residues of concern from historical use still remain.
Since , EPA has been participating in international negotiations to control the use of DDT and other persistent organic pollutants used around the world.
Under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme, countries joined together and negotiated a treaty to enact global bans or restrictions on persistent organic pollutants POPs , a group that includes DDT. The Convention includes a limited exemption for the use of DDT to control mosquitoes that transmit the microbe that causes malaria - a disease that still kills millions of people worldwide. Successful malaria control programs have been built all over the world using a variety of approaches that are affordable and appropriate to local needs.
All include community involvement, appropriate technology and investment in public health capacity and education. These community-based, integrated solutions have proven successful in places as diverse as Mexico, Kenya and Vietnam. Unfortunately, vocal groups such as Africa Fighting Malaria continue to promote a simplistic "DDT or nothing" debate , ignoring on-the-ground evidence from around the world that more effective approaches are saving lives without putting communities in harm's way from exposure to the long-lasting chemical.
PAN works with international allies, governments and on-the-ground groups in Africa to mobilize resources and political will to combat malaria, and remains active in international legal processes to support the global phase out of DDT and promote the safest and most effective malaria control solutions.
Skip to main content. If there is a single pesticide almost everyone can name, it's DDT. Human Health Harms The science on DDT's human health impacts has continued to mount over the years, with recent studies showing harm at very low levels of exposure. Share this resource:.
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