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Following the war it was used widely with great success to eliminate the last pockets of malaria from North America and Europe. In 1955 the [[World Health Organization]] started a program to eradicate malaria worldwide, largely through the spraying of DDT declaring Brazil, Egypt, the former Soviet Union and several Asian and Caribbean countries to be malaria-free and thus removing 700 million people from risk of infection.

Following the war it was used widely with great success to eliminate the last pockets of malaria from North America and Europe. In 1955 the [[World Health Organization]] started a program to eradicate malaria worldwide, largely through the spraying of DDT declaring Brazil, Egypt, the former Soviet Union and several Asian and Caribbean countries to be malaria-free and thus removing 700 million people from risk of infection.

DDT was also widely adopted as an agricultural pesticide and it was, perhaps, overused by farmers. This led to [[DDT ban|campaign to ban DDT]], another example of [[Liberal Hysteria]] later proved to be misinformation and bad science.

DDT was also widely adopted as an acricultural pesticide and it was, perhaps, overused by farmers. Although not toxic in small amounts it was found that DDT accumulated in bodies through the food chain so that it had an adverse effect on bird-life, particularly raptors. <ref>http://www.eelsinc.org/id62.html</ref> <ref>http://www.fws.gov/endangered/i/b/msab0h.html</ref> In 1962, naturalist Rachel Carson published ''[[Silent Spring]]'', a bestselling book that campaigned for the ''regulated'' use of DDT.  However, public sentiment escalated into calling for an [[DDT ban|outright ban of DDT]] and other synthetic pesticides.

The World Health Organization in 2006 announced that it will use DDT for [[indoor residual spraying]] (IRS) in epidemic and endemic areas to reduce childhood mortality from malaria. <ref>[http://malaria.who.int/docs/IRS-position.pdf] WHO - Indoor Residual Spraying - position paper</ref>

In 1970, DDT was banned in Norway and Sweden.  The U.S. banned it in 1972, and the UK in 1984.  Most developed countries have banned its use but it is still used for disease control in some tropical countries where no other methods exist. The quantities required for public welfare are a small fraction of the amount previously used for agricultural purposes.

 

In 2001, 98 countries ratified the [[Stockholm Convention]], which calls for the elimination of DDT and other persistent organic chemicals after May 17, 2004, except for emergency health crises. However, in the absence of a suitable replacement, DDT is still allowed for disease vector control. In 2006 the World Health Organization announced that it will use DDT for [[indoor residual spraying]] (IRS) in epidemic and endemic areas to reduce childhood mortality from malaria. <ref>[http://malaria.who.int/docs/IRS-position.pdf] WHO - Indoor Residual Spraying - position paper</ref>

==See also==

==See also==