From: qralston@cislabs.pitt.edu (James Ralston Crawford)
Newsgroups: pa.general,alt.activism,talk.politics.misc,alt.conspiracy
Subject: Re: The DDT BAn
Date: 27 Sep 92 18:48:15 GMT
Followup-To: pa.general
Organization: University of Pittsburgh [CIS]


	Well, as I'm stuck in the lab for a bit longer, I decided to
do some investigation on DDT.

And techie@cellar.org (William A Bacon) inscribes:

> [virtues of DDT extolled]

	I was surprised to discover that Mr. Bacon was remarkably
accurate in his information concerning the effectiveness of DDT.  I
never thought I would be saying this, but except for some
exaggeration, he was almost right on the mark.

	However, instead of listing the disadvantages of DDT, Mr.
Bacon instead attacks those who are attacking DDT.

	I cross-referenced DDT under our on-line Grolier's Academic
American Encyclopedia.  Here are some excerpts.  (I probably should
have just posted a summary, but I'm really pressed for time right now.
Sorry.)


---------- article title: "DDT"
	In 1962, the publication of biologist Rachel Carson's SILENT
SPRING raised fears that, at the very least, DDT was causing a
dramatic decrease in the numbers of many species of birds. It was
found that the pesticide disrupts avian reproductive processes and
causes the laying of infertile or deformed eggs. Because it breaks
down very slowly in the soil, DDT buildup in the food chain--the
increasing concentration of the pesticide as larger organisms eat
smaller ones--also caused concern about the amounts humans could
safely ingest. Because of such studies and environmental concerns, the
use of DDT was banned in the United States in 1972.
1        Dunlap, Thomas R., DDT: Scientists, Citizens and Public
         Policy (1981).
2        Henderson, Gary L., et al., Effects of DDT on Man and Other
         Mammals, 2 vols. (1973).


---------- article title: "endangered species"
	Forty species of birds in the United States, including
peregrine hawks, bald eagles, pelicans, and roseate terns, lay
thin-shelled or shell-less eggs as a result of ingesting degradation
products of DDT and some of the other chlorinated hydrocarbon
insecticides that make their way into the food chain.
1        DiSilvestro, R.L., Audubon Perspectives (1990).
2        Ehrlich, P.  and A., Extinctions (1981).
3        Hoag, R.I., ed., Animal Extinctions (1985).
4        Matthews, J., and Lowe, D., Official World Wildlife Fund
         Guide to Endangered Species, 2 vols.  (1989).
5        Niteki, M.H., Extinctions (1984).
6        Norton, B.G., ed., The Preservation of Species (1986).


---------- article title: "environmental health"
	Two examples of biologically persistent chemicals that have
been indiscriminately introduced into the environment in vast
quantities are the insecticide DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane)
and a group of compounds known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB).
	DDT is probably the best-known synthetic compound, and its
environmental effect is of great magnitude.  The actual DDT activity
is not fully understood, even though it has been studied for over
thirty years.  DDT was originally hailed as the great savior of crops
from insect pests and has been extremely important in controlling the
spread of malaria by mosquitoes.  However, because DDT and its related
compounds can dissolve into fatty animal tissue, DDT has
bio-accumulated through food chains and has manifested pronounced
effects in fish, reptilian, and avian metabolism and reproductive
systems.  Many animal species have suffered substantial reductions of
populations from DDT contamination, including the bald eagle, the
national bird of the United States.
	DDT and PCB are present worldwide, having been found in ocean
sediments and polar ice.  The problem of tracing these compounds and
thousands of others (including breakdown products which sometimes are
even more harmful) is immense and will occupy the investigations of
environmental health researchers for years to come.
1        Blumenthal, D.  S., Introduction to Environmental Health
         (1985).
2        Eckholm, E.  P., The Picture of Health (1977).
3        Koren, Herman, Environmental Health and Safety (1974).
4        McKinney, J.  D., Environmental Health Chemistry (1981).
5        Meselson, M.  S., Chemicals and Cancer (1980).
6        More, J.  W., The Changing Environment (1986).
7        Newton, David F., Elements of Environmental Health (1974).
8        Ricci, P.  R., ed., Health and Environmental Risk Assessment
         (1985).
9        World Health Organization, Health Hazards of the Human
         Environment (1972).


---------- article title: "falcon"
	Research has shown that organochlorine pesticides (DDT,
dieldrin) reduce the ability of certain birds to produce sufficient
calcium for their eggs; consequently, the eggs are thin shelled and
extremely susceptible to breakage.  At least one of the living species
is considered endangered, the Seychelles kestrel, F.  araea, and one
other species, the Mauritius kestrel, F.  punctatus, may be extinct.
1        Baker, John, The Peregrine (1986).
2        Brown, Leslie, Birds of Prey (1977).
3        Cade, Tom, The Falcons of the World (1982).
4        Craighead, John J., and Frank C., Hawks, Owls and Wildlife
         (1956;  repr.  1969).
5        Hickey, Joseph J., ed., Peregrine Falcon Populations:  Their
         Biology and Decline (1969).
6        Murphy, R., The Peregrine Falcon (1981).


---------- article title: "nutrient cycles"
	The far-reaching nature of nutrient cycles has become obvious
in recent years with the discovery of DDT in the tissues of Antarctic
penguins. The penguins obtained the DDT by eating shrimp that fed on
oceanic plankton that, in turn, had taken up the pesticide when it
washed off the land.
1        Huang, P.  M., and Schnitzer, M., eds., Interactions of Soil
         Minerals with Natural Organics and Microbes (1986).
2        Paul, E.  A., and Clark, F.  E., eds., Soil Microbiology and
         Biochemistry (1988).
3        Porter, Keith S., Nitrogen and Phosphorous:  Food
         Production, Waste and the Environment (1975).


---------- article title: "organic chemistry"
	DHT [sic] is extremely stable and persists for years in the
environment. Consequently, it moves through the food chain and
gradually builds up in plant and animal tissues. Although there is no
evidence that normal use of DDT has ever harmed humans, it has proved
harmful to fish and birds of prey, and the use of DDT has now been
severely limited.
1        Fessenden, Ralph J.  and Joan S., Organic Chemistry, 3d ed.
         (1986).
2        Morrison, Robert T., and Boyd, Robert N., Organic Chemistry,
         5th ed.  (1987).
3        Pine, S, H., et al., Organic Chemistry, 5th ed.  (1987).
4        , Streitwieser, Andrew, Introduction to Organic Chemistry,
         3d ed.  (1985).
5        Ternay, A, L., Contemporary Organic Chemistry, 2d ed.
         (1979).


---------- article title: "pollution, environmental"
	DDT provides an excellent example of cumulative pesticide
effects.  (Although DDT use has been banned in the United States since
1972, it is still a popular pesticide in much of the rest of the
world.) DDT may be applied to an area so that the levels in the
surrounding environment are less than one part per billion.  As
bacteria or other microscopic organisms ingest and retain the
pesticide, the concentration may increase several hundred- to a
thousandfold.  Concentration continues as these organisms are ingested
by higher forms of life--algae, fish, shellfish, birds, or humans.
The resultant concentration in the higher life forms may reach levels
of thousands to millions of parts per billion.
1        Brown, M., The Toxic Cloud:  A Cross-Country Report on the
         Poisoning of America's Air (1987).
2        French, Hilary, Clearing the Air:  A Global Agenda (1990).
3        Grenon, M., and Batisse, M., Futures for the Mediterranean
         Basin (1990).
4        Kemp, David D., Global Environmental Issues:  A
         Climatological Approach (1990).
5        Krupa, S., and Legge, A., Air Pollutants and Their Effects
         on the Terrestrial Ecosystem (1986).
6        Loiy, P. J., and Daisey, J.  M., Toxic Air Pollution (1987).
7        Luoma, J., Troubled Skies, Troubled Waters (1985).
8        Mackenzie, J.J., Air Pollution's Toll on Forests (1990).
9        Moulder, D.S., and Williamson, P., eds., Estuarine and
         Coastal Pollution (1986).
10       Nebel, B.  J., Environmental Science, 3d ed.  (1990).
11       Nemerow, N.  L., Stream, Lake, Estuary, and Ocean Pollution
         (1985).
12       Pye, V.  I., et al., Groundwater Contamination in the United
         States (1983).
13       Stern, A.  C., et al., Fundamentals of Air Pollution (1984).
14       Trager, Oliver, ed., Our Poisoned Planet: Can We Save It?
         (1989).
15       Yeager, Peter C., The Limits of the Law:  The Public
         Regulation of Private Pollution (1990).


----------

	The John Birch Society: those who would drive the symbol of
the United States (the Bald Eagle) to extinction... to symbolize the
greatness of the United States.

	You people need help.

-- 
James Ralston Crawford \ Advanced Technology Lab                   The
qralston@cislabs.pitt.edu \ qralston@pittvms.bitnet                 Phantom
"Pitiful creature of darkness \ What kind of life have you known"  - of the
"God give me courage to show you \ You are not alone"                 Opera