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Is DDT use a public health problem in Mexico?
L López-Carrillo1, L Torres-Arreola, L Torres-Sánchez
1National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
Environmental Health Perspectives
|June 1, 1996
Summary
Despite restrictions, DDT use remains high in Mexico, posing a public health risk. Elevated DDT levels in Mexican women highlight the need for alternatives and further research on breast cancer links.
Area of Science:
- Environmental toxicology
- Public health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) use in Mexico, particularly for malaria control, has persisted despite global restrictions.
- Mexico's DDT production and consumption patterns are compared to the United States, revealing higher usage rates than in other Latin American countries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the impact of DDT on public health in Mexico.
- To analyze accumulated DDT levels in Mexican women.
- To discuss limitations in epidemiological studies linking DDT exposure and breast cancer.
Main Methods:
- Review of DDT production and consumption data in Mexico and the US over 20 years.
- Analysis of published studies on DDT levels in blood, adipose tissue, and breast milk of Mexican women.
- Evaluation of methodological limitations in existing epidemiological research.
Main Results:
- DDT use in Mexico remains higher than in comparable Latin American nations.
- Significant lipid-adjusted DDE levels were found in Mexican women: 6.66 ppb in mammary adipose tissue and 0.594 ppm in breast milk (Mexico City).
Conclusions:
- DDT usage in Mexico constitutes a significant public health concern.
- Urgent need for malaria control alternatives and public education to reduce DDT exposure.
- Strengthening epidemiological studies to investigate DDT's association with breast cancer in Mexican women is recommended.