Cultures
Carmicha Butler
ANT
Dr. June
February 11, 2008
Should DDT Be Banned Worldwide?
Our world today consists of many different cultures, customs, and concepts. Families have different customs in different countries and live in a work with many different cultuhat do you do when a dreaded environmental pollutant saves lives? DDT is one of the most controversial chemicals that have evoked a great deal of debate. Environmentalists argue, “DDT should be outlawed as a dangerous, long-lasting poison that is harmful to humans, lingers on the soil, accumulates in the food chain and disperses widely through water, air and in the flesh of fish and migrating birds” (Raloff, 1998, p. 154). On the other side, many health officials say malaria, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, is on the rise, and DDT is lauded as an irreplaceable weapon in their fight against malaria. I say that DDT should be banned worldwide.
Public health is probably the single most important factor in development, but it has to be based on sustainable methods, otherwise it will benefit one generation, but the fail the next. Although DDT is a very effective insecticide, it is toxic, and the benefits of using DDT to the people who live in malaria infested regions are linked to the risks that environmentalist foresee resulting from its spraying. If DDT is not banned worldwide then the potential dangers to the environment as well as humans will be far greater. Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease in which health officials have recognized as causing over 2.7 million deaths (World Health Organization). It has been said that DDT has saved the lives of many in Africa as well as other poorly developed countries, but people tend to partially discount the value of human lives that might be lost in the more distant future. Yes, DDT has been a benefit for malaria control in some of the poorer countries, but what about the major impact on the environment and the potential health effects...