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DDT was first created in a laboratory in 1877, but
it wasn't until around 1939 that Dr. Paul Müller discovered
that the chemical was effective in killing insects. In 1948,
Dr. Müller won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work.
As a pesticide, DDT was first used during Word War II. The
chemical was sprayed over areas where US soldiers were fighting
in order to control lice and other insects. These pests carried
harmful diseases such as typhus and malaria. DDT was so effective
as an insect killer that it was known as the "atomic bomb"
of pesticides.
In 1945, the use of DDT spread widely on farms to control
common agricultural pests. DDT became an extremely popular
pesticide after 1945 because it had so many uses and worked
so well. At one point, the US was producing 220 million pounds
of DDT a year!
The scientific name for DDT is 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis-(p-chlorophenyl)
ethane. DDT's chemical formula is C14H9Cl5,
which means it has 14 carbon atoms, 9 hydrogen atoms, and
5 chlorine atoms.
DDT is a white, crystalline powder with almost no odor, similar
to salt.
Chemicals can change into forms that are slightly different
from the original, either in the environment or when they
pass through an organism's metabolism. We call these new chemicals
metabolites. DDE is a metabolite of DDT.
| DDT |
DDE |
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Photos:
pesticides collection.
Used with permission. |
Because DDT changes to DDE inside animals' bodies, scientists
perform tests to measure DDE levels in animals rather than
DDT levels.
Read more about lethal doses
of DDT.
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