A previously characterized cohort of 115 Great Lakes fisheaters and 95 non-fisheating controls was re-examined in 1989 to evaluate changes that had occurred in serum PCB and DDT levels since the 1982 study. Substantial and significant decreases in mean serum DDT levels had occurred in both fisheaters (25.8 ppb vs 15.6 ppb) and controls (9.6 ppb vs 6.8 ppb) over this time period. In contrast, on...

Although the environmentally harmful effects of widespread dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) use became well-known following Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (1962), its human health effects have more recently become clearer. A ban on the use of DDT has been in place for over 30 years, but recently DDT has been used for malaria control in areas such as Africa. Recent work shows that DDT has tr...

Objective: To investigate the susceptibility status of the major malaria mosquito in selected rural, semi-urban and urban areas of Nigeria to DDT and Permethrin based insecticides used in vector control. Methods: Two to three day old unfed adult female Anopheles mosquitoes raised from larvae collected across three ecological zones in Nigeria were exposed to 4 % DDT impregnated papers. To find o...

4,4'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) has been re-recommended by the World Health Organization for malaria mosquito control. Previous DDT use has resulted in resistance, and with continued use resistance will increase in terms of level and extent. Drosophila melanogaster is a model dipteran that has many available genetic tools, numerous studies done on insecticide resistance mechanisms, a...

We review the potential impact of DDT on public health in Mexico. DDT production and consumption patterns in Mexico during the last 20 years are described and compared with those in the United States. In spite of the restrictions on DDT use in antimalaria campaigns in Mexico, use of DDT is still higher than in other Latin American countries. We analyzed information from published studies to det...

The insecticide 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl) ethane (DDT) has been banned in the United States since 1972, and serum levels in the general population have fallen substantially. Why then would the Journal bother to publish two articles on DDT and health in the present issue (1, 2)? The authors of the papers allude to the significance of their contributions, but their explanations meri...

Introduction The publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring1 in 1962 brought in an increased awareness on the effects of chemicals in the environment and that human health is inextricably linked to the health of the environment. Since then there has been growing scientific concern, public debate and media attention over the possible effects in humans and wildlife that may result from exposure...

BACKGROUND In utero exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds including dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) has been hypothesized to increase risk of obesity later in life. OBJECTIVES The Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) study is a longitudinal birth cohort of low-income Latinas living in a California ...

BACKGROUND There is mounting evidence that deteriorated semen quality may be associated with increased serum concentration of 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(chlorodiphenyl)ethane (DDT) and its metabolites. The problem is exacerbated in situations where DDT is the only resource available to control malaria mosquitoes and DDT metabolite plasma concentration can reach 1000-fold the level found in other p...

In previous studies, we detected a dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) derivative in the serum of children with sexual precocity after migration from developing countries. Recently, we reported that DDT stimulated pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion and sexual maturation in the female rat. The aim of this study was to delineate the mechanisms of interaction of endocrine-...