Why ddt is banned in india

The researchers detected levels of numerous POPs that were much higher than levels previously found in other US populations. In particular, people with higher levels of DDT in their blood were more likely to be obese, store excess fat in their livers, and show increased insulin resistance compared to people with lower levels. Although more research is needed to establish a causal relationship, these findings could help explain the increased diabetes risk for Indian immigrants and have public health implications for the approximately 1.

Source: UC Davis. Search for:. Science Health Culture Environment. Share this Article. You are free to share this article under the Attribution 4. The Stockholm Convention CoP-6 had aimed to establish a time frame for research into affordable alternatives to DDT, and to set as the deadline for the ban of the chemical.

To this end, the convention wanted to establish a roadmap. Persistent pesticide DDT was developed in the s and was initially used with great effect to combat malaria, typhus, and the other insect-borne human diseases, and for insect control in crop and livestock production, institutions, homes, and gardens.

As Carson saw it, a race of super-insects, immune to the effects of pesticides, would infest the crops grown on American farms. Desperate farmers, she said, would respond to these infestations by using much greater quantities of DDT.

In this way, Carson explained, the pesticide would eventually poison the entire food chain, killing off, in sequence, bugs, worms, birds, fish, and finally mankind. DDT is now classified as a persistent organic pollutant POP as it accumulates in fatty tissues, and can travel long distances in the upper atmosphere.

Because of such persistence, it undergoes bio-magnification increase in concentration as it moves higher up in the food chain, affecting plant, animal and human health. It is, however, still being used to fight malaria in the developing world. Search for safer alternatives The Stockholm Convention came into force in and included a limitation on the use of DDT to special cases for controlling mosquitoes spreading malaria — as long as no effective alternatives exist.

Keeping this in mind, several states are looking at alternative pesticide options. Read: Could the use of a more effective pesticide have reduced Dengue cases in Bengaluru? DDT and the origin of its ban. In September , American biologist Rachel Carson published a book called Silent Spring which chronicled in detail the environmental and health risks posed by the use of DDT. The compound had been viewed as a boon by many as it was incredibly effective against hundreds of different types of insects, as opposed to the previously used compounds which specifically target just a few insects.

However, Carson also pointed out that several animals and birds died in large numbers as the result of DDT poisoning. There was mass outcry following the release of her book which led to the chemical being banned for the first time in by the US Environment Protection Agency EPA. It was here that many nations came to the decision to ban DDT use. However, they did add that developing countries, which largely relied on DDT for controlling mosquito populations, would be permitted to use the compound only for the purpose of controlling vector-borne diseases.