GalileaPatricio

APESPeriod1
10/12/14
DDTPersuasiveEssay

Throughout history, the human race has been shaped by many things which have
enabled humans to be much more complex and evolved organisms. Although the
complexity and process to which the human race has been shaped to is efficient, there are
however, instances in which mutation occurs, it is a small change that can be neutral,
advantageous, or deleterious to an individual. Such is the case with sickle cell anemia,
although in many cases the disease proves to be fatal, people with sickle cell anemia have
an advantage over people who do not have the disease. Individuals without the disease or
some recessive form of the disease are susceptible to malaria. In order to control the
spread of malaria, the pesticide Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) has been used in
an attempt to wipeout malarias travel source, mosquitos however DDT is proven to cause
more problems than it solves. Due to the magnitude of its extent, I believe that DDT should
be completely banned and no longer used in the control against malaria because it results
ingreaterhealthrisks,environmentaldamage,andeconomicissues.
Sickle cell anemia is disease which causes individuals to have irregular or sickle
shaped red blood cells, causing mild or chronic complications. The disease remains
prevalent in the human genome because it hereditary. People with normal red blood cells
and no form of the recessive disease are vulnerable to malaria a parasitic disease that
hijacks its host by evading their immune system and burrowing within their normal red
blood cells. Malaria is transported and spread by mosquitos, which are prevalent, mainly In
Africa, India, and some regions of South America. DDT is used to exterminate mosquitoes
and their aid in spreading malaria. Studies and research done to determine the
consequences of DDE, DDTs broken down form, in humans includes the link between the
pesticide and premature births. Matthew Longnecker from the US National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences in North Carolina confirmed that Studies in mice have
found that DDE blocks the binding of the hormone progesterone to its receptors, and in
theory, this could cause both prematurity and low birth weight in humans. Regardless of
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the possible effects linking DDT to diabetes or Alzheimer's, the use of the pesticide is
justified as explained by John Dyson from Harvard University In parts of Indonesia, nearly a
quarter of the population were infected with malaria but twiceyearly sprays of DDT cut
infections to one in a hundred. While some may argue that DDT is in fact contributing to a
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great cause in preserving lives, the pesticide itself was not tested for any long term effects
ortheeffectsonhumansbeforeitsuse.
Although DDT is banned in the United States, people are still exposed to the
pesticide because of other countries use and DDEs long lifespan it enters and
1
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1012ddtfinallylinkedtohumanhealthproblems.html
2
http://www.cid.harvard.edu/cidinthenews/articles/SA_Readers_Digest_1200.html

GalileaPatricio
APESPeriod1
10/12/14
concentrates in the human body through food obtained from the environment. The primary
use of DDT is mainly located abroad where malaria and other diseases are prevalent
however, as stated by Clifton Curtis from the WorldWide Fund for Nature/World Wildlife
Fund "As long as DDT exists anywhere on the globe, none of us is safe". The pesticide
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enters and pollutes water sources as well as the environment in which it enters and
contaminating organisms as announced The EPA in 1996 declared about 17 square
miles of ocean a Superfund site, ranking it among the most hazardous places in the
country. When DDT enters an organism the concentration of the pesticide increases as it
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travels through the food chain, killing the organism at the top of the food chain such as
humans. The environment is often forgotten in the decision making of countries and
individuals, some argue that the use of DDT saves lives from malaria, yet the lives of other
organisms are not accounted for. For example, the population of Bald Eagles in the
Catalina Islands decreased due to the toxicity of their food. Bald Eagles are indicator
species meaning that they represent the health of the environment they live in, the eagles
struggle to survive demonstrates the effects of the chemical among other dangers. The fish
consumed by the eagles inhabited waters polluted with DDT causing the eagle to produce
thinner eggshells. During incubation the frail eggshells would break from the weight of their
mother, thus the population decreased. In order to save the American Bald Eagle from
becoming extinct biologists gathered resources to restore the eagle population. Officials
and environmentalists agree that DDT is to blame for harming marine life and causing the
disappearance of some types of coastal birds , yet the conservation and restoration of the
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environment in which they live in is not always possible due to the cost of equipment,
personnel,andtheextentofthedamage.
Along with the environmental issues of DDT are the economic issues that arise from
it. The EPA announced that it requires spending at least $36 million to clean up the world's
largest deposit of banned pesticide DDT, which lies 200 feet underwater off the Palos
Verdes Peninsula . The cost to treat polluted environments is far more than the cost of a
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short term solution such as DDT. As previously stated the justification for the use of DDT is
to save human lives, however the use of the pesticide also ties into its cost effectiveness.
Spraying a whole area with DDT is favored over administering antimalarial drugs, yet the
cost to treat environmental issues is far more expensive, as stated by the EPA $36 million
is the least that will be required to clean one area out of the many that are contaminated by
DDT.
3
http://www.cid.harvard.edu/cidinthenews/articles/SA_Readers_Digest_1200.html
4
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/12/local/mepalosverdespollution12
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Id.4.
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Id.4.

GalileaPatricio
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Based on the harmful effects of DDT, I believe that DDT should not be used due to
its link in premature births as well as other health effects, pollution of environmental
resources and species, and the economic cost at a global scale to treat the effects of DDT
and malaria. DDT indirectly affects humans in one way or another, it can be consumed
through food or introduced into ecosystems within the United States from other countries.
Overall the usage of DDT and its effects outweighs the supposed good that it contributes
to. The pesticide itself is an easy and short term solution which leaves behind long term
consequences for this and future generations. In order to combat malaria and other
disease prone insects, medication and prevention resources need to be more accessible
and available to low income people which mainly constitutes the countries prone to
diseases. By educating people of what is occurring in their environments and what they are
exposed to they can help completely ban DDT in many parts of the world and halt the
damagebeforeitistoolate.