Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT): A weapon missing from the U.S. department of defense's vector control arsenal

摘要

Per the National Academy of Sciences: "To only a few chemicals does man owe as great a debt as to DDT." That same committee concluded that in less than two decades of use, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) had prevented 500 million deaths from malaria.1 So, what has been the history of DDT use by the U.S. military? How did a chemical with such an amazing ability to halt the spread of disease itself end up virtually eradicated in only 2 years? Is there evidence that DDT can be used safely and effectively? And, what are the current risks to U.S. military personnel?