View From the Bushes

Last week sometime I promised you a rant on DDT, or more specifically the mis-guided ban of DDT. First, it's important to know how I got on this kick. It was a couple of weeks ago and I was watching "Guns, Germs and Steel" on PBS -- it's a series based on the book of the same name by Jared Diamond. And there was a scene in this particular episode where he visits a hospital for people suffering from malaria. It's a gut-wrenching scene, particularly when they pan over to show the collection of infant-sized body bags. And of course at some point they start reciting the statistics; I forget exactly the number they quoted, but here's one to try on for size: an average of 2,800 children die every day from malaria in Africa.

So, of course, this is where the DDT argument comes in. I had already heard the DDT ban referred to as the "greatest crime of the century," but this scene inspired me to do some more research. One of the best sources I came across was the DDT FAQ at Junkscience.com. I knew DDT was banned in the US, but I wasn't sure what the status of it was in Africa. It turns out that the WHO allows it to be sprayed indoors, but doesn't allow widespread use outside. But of course environmental groups are opposed to even this use. But regardless of what the WHO says, most African countries are too poor to afford any large scale DDT campaign of their own, and with all of the industrial countries firmly in the "DDT is bad" camp, there's no chance of them paying for it.

Of course, DDT does have some harmful side effects. It does take an exceptionally long time to break down, which means it lasts a long time. This seems to be one of the principle things that freaks out the environmentalists, and I admit when they find DDT in breast milk it causes a visceral reaction in me as well, but there is nothing in this world that is wholely without negative consequences. I mean, Dihydrogen Monoxide is a great example of this (I understand that it is also found in breast milk). The point is, fine, DDT has some negative side affects, we'll list those under the "Con" column, but under the "Pro" column you have to list untold human suffering and thousands of deaths every day. So to convince me at least that the DDT ban is a good thing you are going to have to come up with something awfully impressive to put under that "Con" column.

Rachel Carson beware!
Ross