NY Times:
What the world needs now is DDT. I’ve posted on this subject for a long time, diving into international health links ... and I’ve always been against. Over that time I’ve come to see, time and again, that topical spraying of DDT in homes goes a long way towards malaria prevention, saving many lives, with very minimal exposure to the occupants and the environment. My opinion has shifted, and I can accept this, when strictly controlled and alternative methods researched (when moral and practical). Longterm studies have not yet been extensively done, but I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt, in order to save lives.
I offer rationalizations: Coumadin, ‘rat poison’, has health benefits when used for certain conditions. Controlled use. We use hydrochloric acid in our homes as a powerful acid cleaner, but we don’t spread it over fields because of its propensity to destroy and/or kill. Ethical use.
Surely we can find an ethical, controlled middle ground for DDT? I’m not totally sold, but I’m open.
