WHO lifts ban on DDT

On Friday the World Health Organization lifted its 34 year ban on the chemical pesticide DDT so that it can be used to combat mosquito-transmitted malaria in Africa. DDT was one of the first pesticides whose production was officially banned in the United States. DDT was banned in 1972 after it was found to bioaccumulate and potentially pose carcinogenic risks to environments in which it was used, although controversy remained over the question of whether or not DDT posed a serious enough risk to humans to warrant the ban. DDT is also one of the major chemical pesticides that inspired Rachel Carson's 1969 book, Silent Spring, a book that many view as a major catalyst to the modern environmental movement. See link below for more on the lifting of the DDT ban. -TW

WHO endorses DDT to fight malaria in Africa (Telegraph.co.uk)

To add some historical perspective, I have linked to the 1972 (New Year's Eve) announcement made by the U.S. EPA informing the public of the government's decision to ban the production of DDT in the United States.

DDT Ban Takes Effect