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Related Experiment Videos

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT): ubiquity, persistence, and risks.

Vladimir Turusov1, Valery Rakitsky, Lorenzo Tomatis

  • 1N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Centre, Kashirskoye 24, 115478 Moscow, Russian Federation. turusov@crc.umos.ru

Environmental Health Perspectives
|February 12, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Decades of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) use have harmed wildlife and may impact human health. Despite bans, DDT persists globally, necessitating safer alternatives for public health and environmental protection.

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Toxicology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is a widely known insecticide with a history of environmental and potential human health impacts.
  • Despite widespread bans due to ecological concerns, DDT remains in use for public health in some regions and is still produced for export.
  • DDT's persistence and bioaccumulation in adipose tissue result in its presence in virtually all living organisms globally.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the history of DDT usage worldwide.
  • To present findings from epidemiologic and experimental studies on DDT's potential carcinogenicity.
  • To discuss the ongoing public health relevance of DDT and its metabolites.

Main Methods:

  • Review of historical usage data of DDT.

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  • Analysis of epidemiologic studies on DDT exposure and cancer risks.
  • Examination of experimental studies investigating the carcinogenicity of DDT and its metabolites (DDE, DDD).

    • Main Results:

    • Experimental studies provide convincing evidence for the carcinogenicity of DDT and its metabolites.
    • Epidemiologic studies on DDT's carcinogenicity have yielded inconsistent or inconclusive results, though predominantly negative.
    • DDT and its metabolites are globally pervasive due to their stability and tendency to accumulate in fatty tissues.

    Conclusions:

    • The potential contribution of DDT to cancer risks and its role as an endocrine disruptor warrant further investigation.
    • The global presence and persistence of DDT and its metabolites pose significant public health challenges.
    • Development of effective, safer pesticides and alternative malaria control methods is crucial to achieve a complete ban on DDT.