Pollution Management - DDT
- Created by: Tanya B
- Created on: 18-03-13 17:33
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- DDT dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethane
- USES
- during World War II
- control the lice that spread typhus
- control the mosquitoes that spread malaria
- insecticide in farming - production soared
- during World War II
- restrictions of use
- (1970-1980) - agricultural use of ddt = banned in MEDC countries
- despite worldwide ban on agricultural use of DDT, its use in disease control continued in India and North Korea
- environmental impacts
- DDT is soluble in lipids (fats) = build up in fatty tissue
- loss and degradation occur through run-off, volatilization, photolysis, biodegredation
- bioaccumulation
- retention/build-up of non-biodegradable or slowly biodegradable chemicals in the body = produces body-burden of the substance
- biomagnification / biological amplification
- process whereby the concentration of a chemical increases at each trophic level
- end result = top predator may have concentration of a chemical several million times higher than the same chemical's concentration in water/primary producers
- process whereby the concentration of a chemical increases at each trophic level
- DDT is soluble in lipids (fats) = build up in fatty tissue
- effects on human health
- farmers exposed to DDT had an increase of asthma and/or diabetes
- higher risk of liver / breast / pancreatic cancer
- risk factor for:
- early pregnancy loss
- premature birth
- low birth weight
- USES
- led to huge decrease in both diseases
- control the mosquitoes that spread malaria
- control the lice that spread typhus
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