1. T H E F R A U D A N D M I S L E A D I N G E F F E C T S O N B I R D S
DEFENDING DDT
Cameron Troutman
Eng 1060-002
Dr. David Marquard
June 30, 2014

2. HISTORY OF DDT
• Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, or more commonly
known as DDT is a pesticide that was used world wide in
the beginning of the 1900’s.
• Its use first began as a way to combat malaria and to
ward off mosquitoes from homes and residential
properties.
• Along with home use DDT was also administered in
breading grounds for mosquitoes, which devastated the
malaria parasite in countries all around the world.

3. HISTORY CONT.
• After only five years, the
price of DDT drastically
dropped from $1 dollar per
pound to just $0.25 cents.
• Since DDT was now so
cheap many farmers and
agriculturalists began to use
this pesticide in their fields
because of its effectiveness
and being inexpensive
(Turusov 125).

4. THE ARGUMENT
The argument presented will show a different side of DDT
and give a look at the misconceptions that have been
attached to this pesticide. Although DDT was banned in
the 1940's, there was no accurate scientific evidence that
this pesticide had risks on bird's health, their
reproductive cycles, or their production of eggs. This
argument will dive in head first at what some scholars say
negative about DDT and what others argue against them
to support the use of DDT.

5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
• The research used for this paper is primarily secondary
research sources that includes scholarly journals and
accredited websites that are relevant to the topic.
• There are nine different sources that were primarily used to
gather information on the topic that is presented in the paper.
• Some articles like Edwards, Roberts, and Sirkin show ways
that DDT should not have been banned and gave reasons to
their importance.
• Others gave a different side and spoke how DDT was harm
but never gave the reason to these except that the chemical
had just been present.

6. SIGNIFICANCE
• DDT was a tool that influenced the world more than many
people realize.
• DDT was blamed for causing eggshell thinning and decrease
of different species of birds.
• DDT was banned from use from someone who looked at the
public opinion and not the facts.
• The public was misinformed by Rachel Carson’s book that
inaccurately shaped the future for DDT and the rest of the
world. Carson and the EPA head executive, William
Ruckelshaus can both be thanked for the ban of DDT and the
agonizing lives that many of those live in third world countries
from horrible insect spread diseases.

7. CONCLUSION
• There are still many unknown qualities about DDT that
have yet to be proven.
• DDT may have a link in many of the problems theorized
by the environmentalist.
• DDT is more than likely in every living thing, but is there
a severe health risk because of this? Currently there are
no factual answers to this question.
• What is known are the benefits that have been
associated with DDT but are often overlooked and
dismissed because of a book published off of shear
opinion.

8. CONCLUSION CONT.
• DDT has saved millions of lives from malaria and to is still
combating this parasite to this day in many developing countries.
• Instead of saving lives of people who are dying agonizing deaths
from malaria, many of the ones that were in power went with popular
believe and chose politics.
• The DDT usage in the natural world has yet to be proven to kill birds
or have a negative affect on their reproduction
• The ruling of banning DDT was unjust and favored the opinion of
one person who did not even hear all of the evidence
• . DDT has been treated unfairly when it has done nothing for human
civilization but help rid of pests and improve the living conditions for
all of the lives it has touched.