DDT – A Short History

1874 – First synthesised by Othmar Zeidler - dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT)

1939 – Paul Hermann Müller discovered insecticidal properties of DDT

1940s – Rapid development in WW2 to combat malaria, typhus, and other mosquito-borne diseases in military & civilian populations

- Following WW2, extensive use of DDT contributed to eradication of malaria in America & Europe

1948 – Müller awarded Nobel Prize

1950s – A WHO campaign to eradicate malaria was based on extensive spraying with DDT – a marked reduction in malaria mortality rate was found

→ mortality rate dropped from 192 to 7 per 100,000

  - increasing resistance to DDT was found in pests

DDT – A Short History

1950s – Marked decline of bird populations, especially raptors like the peregrine falcon, osprey, and eagles, were observed

1962 – Rachel Carson publishes Silent Spring, raising American   awareness of the ecological effects & health risks of DDT and start of modern environmental movement.

1970s-80s – ban on DDT use in Western countries; recovery of affected bird populations

– DDT use continued in developing countries, but widespread spraying discontinued.  Insecticide impregnated bednets and indoor spraying favoured.

2001 – Stockholm convention, restricting DDT use to health crises