DDT to be Re-Introduced in Tanzania
May 10th 2006 03:45
Category: No Category
News from Tanzania…
Malaria is again on the increase in Tanzania which has prompted health officials to re-introduce the widespread use of DDT (dichlorodiphenyaltrichloroethane) to control the spread of the disease. DDT is one nasty substance that is internationally recognized as causing large scale environmental and ecological dangers, as well as posing a significant health risk to humans. Once DDT is released into the environment it can persist in the environment for years, some reports are up to 15 years. Even worse it bioaccumulates in plants and animals reaching high levels of concentration due to the long half life of the compound and amassing to higher concentrations for organisms higher up the food chain.
In 1995, Tanzania was one of the nations which participated in the Stockholm Convention, an international agreement whose purpose was to eliminate the use of “chemical substances that persist in the environment, bio-accumulate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment.” DDT is one of the dirty dozen chemicals on the International Programme for Chemical Safety list. Officially, all nations how have agreed to this international treaty are bound to eliminate or mitigate the use of POP’s. However, like all good international agreements there are always loopholes. Widespread DDT use is permitted under the Stockholm Convention provided for the purpose of malaria control.
But why the hoopla? Afterall it’s a trade off, people and newborns especially are dying of malaria. DDT just seems like a cost effective method of protecting the Tanzanian population. Well, to the short sighted, this is true. The actual effect of DDT on humans is somewhat controversial. There are some studies which indicate it can cause cancer, birth defects and deaths. Other studies dispute these health effects. As DDT has been so widely used in the past, it is difficult to single it out as specific factor in human mortality. Meanwhile, to consider Tanzania’s situation, sure some babies may die prematurely due to lowered immunity brought about by DDT contamination, but many will circumnavigate the ills of malaria and have a fighting chance at adulthood. In the current climate, where malaria is fast becoming one of Tanzania’s biggest killers, DDT seems like the only viable solution.
How the Western World can sit by and let this African nation dice with this difficult and dangerous position is beyond me. Put aside any direct health threats to humans, it is proven that DDT can wreak havoc to an ecosystem. Marine animals are particularly succeptable to DDT poisoning. Scientific research has proven direct cause and relationship link with mammals exposed to DDT. Results indicated immune dysfunction, reproductive failure, increased kit mortality, deformations and adult mortality. So how are a few less dolphins and chimpanzees a problem to humans? Well, eventually the effects filter through up the food chain. Predatory species are suddenly lacking in a snack as species most susceptible to DDT die off. Africa has enough of a famine problem without further upset to the stretched ecological system.
Furthermore, malaria (or rather the mozzies) have historically shown to build up a tolerance to DDT. This means it is foreseeable that with time larger amounts of DDT will be required to control the spread of the disease. Effectively this will compound any negative effects related to the use of DDT. DDT is not a quick fix solution and it would be folly to think of it as such. Once its out in the environment, it takes a bloody long time to eradicate. This is not just a regional problem, it is a global issue. Once release DDT cannot be contained as “poor little africa’s” problem. This mentality is about as effective as separating a central dining area into “smoking” and “no smoking.” Modern trade, transport and atmospheric distribution imply that no matter where DDT is released, it is bound to find its way onto your kitchen table.
Malaria is again on the increase in Tanzania which has prompted health officials to re-introduce the widespread use of DDT (dichlorodiphenyaltrichloroethane) to control the spread of the disease. DDT is one nasty substance that is internationally recognized as causing large scale environmental and ecological dangers, as well as posing a significant health risk to humans. Once DDT is released into the environment it can persist in the environment for years, some reports are up to 15 years. Even worse it bioaccumulates in plants and animals reaching high levels of concentration due to the long half life of the compound and amassing to higher concentrations for organisms higher up the food chain.
In 1995, Tanzania was one of the nations which participated in the Stockholm Convention, an international agreement whose purpose was to eliminate the use of “chemical substances that persist in the environment, bio-accumulate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment.” DDT is one of the dirty dozen chemicals on the International Programme for Chemical Safety list. Officially, all nations how have agreed to this international treaty are bound to eliminate or mitigate the use of POP’s. However, like all good international agreements there are always loopholes. Widespread DDT use is permitted under the Stockholm Convention provided for the purpose of malaria control.
But why the hoopla? Afterall it’s a trade off, people and newborns especially are dying of malaria. DDT just seems like a cost effective method of protecting the Tanzanian population. Well, to the short sighted, this is true. The actual effect of DDT on humans is somewhat controversial. There are some studies which indicate it can cause cancer, birth defects and deaths. Other studies dispute these health effects. As DDT has been so widely used in the past, it is difficult to single it out as specific factor in human mortality. Meanwhile, to consider Tanzania’s situation, sure some babies may die prematurely due to lowered immunity brought about by DDT contamination, but many will circumnavigate the ills of malaria and have a fighting chance at adulthood. In the current climate, where malaria is fast becoming one of Tanzania’s biggest killers, DDT seems like the only viable solution.
How the Western World can sit by and let this African nation dice with this difficult and dangerous position is beyond me. Put aside any direct health threats to humans, it is proven that DDT can wreak havoc to an ecosystem. Marine animals are particularly succeptable to DDT poisoning. Scientific research has proven direct cause and relationship link with mammals exposed to DDT. Results indicated immune dysfunction, reproductive failure, increased kit mortality, deformations and adult mortality. So how are a few less dolphins and chimpanzees a problem to humans? Well, eventually the effects filter through up the food chain. Predatory species are suddenly lacking in a snack as species most susceptible to DDT die off. Africa has enough of a famine problem without further upset to the stretched ecological system.
Furthermore, malaria (or rather the mozzies) have historically shown to build up a tolerance to DDT. This means it is foreseeable that with time larger amounts of DDT will be required to control the spread of the disease. Effectively this will compound any negative effects related to the use of DDT. DDT is not a quick fix solution and it would be folly to think of it as such. Once its out in the environment, it takes a bloody long time to eradicate. This is not just a regional problem, it is a global issue. Once release DDT cannot be contained as “poor little africa’s” problem. This mentality is about as effective as separating a central dining area into “smoking” and “no smoking.” Modern trade, transport and atmospheric distribution imply that no matter where DDT is released, it is bound to find its way onto your kitchen table.
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