How Harmful are Pesticides?

Some pesticides like the chemical DDT—which began use in 1945—create serious problems for the environment and our health. For over twenty-five years, DDT was sprayed on farm crops to kill damaging insects. It was also sprayed in homes and in airplane cabins to kill any mosquitoes that might have been inside carrying the malaria virus. For many years, scientists thought DDT was safe to use. They later learned that this was not true. Although DDT was effective in killing certain pests and slowing the spread of malaria, it was damaging to the environment and other living things.