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DDT is a chemical used as a pesticide.

DDT was first used in the second half of World War 2 to kill insects that spread diseases like malaria and typhus. After the war it was sold and used as a pesticide in homes and in agriculture. The World Health Organization employed DDT in its anti-malaria programs in 1955.

The cumulative effects of DDT on living organisms went unnoticed for a long time, causing damage to a wide range of animals, such as birds (thinner egg shells) and humans (causing cancer). The 1962 book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson referenced indiscriminate chemical use as ultimately catastrophic for the environment.

DDT was eventually banned in the US (for most uses) in 1972. It is still used in some developing countries.

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12y ago

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