DDT Full Form

What is the Full form of DDT?

The full form of DDT is Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane. In agriculture, DDT is used as an insecticide. In 1972, the United States banned the use of DDT; however, the compound is still used by some nations. For the prevention of lice, DDT was often used in the past. It is also in use for the control of mosquitoes that transmit malaria outside the United States. In the atmosphere and animal tissues, DDT and its associated chemicals survive for a long time.

History of DDT

• DDT was first synthesised in 1874 and was used to suppress malaria as well as typhus among civilians & troops.
• It was used most commonly as a spray.
• Issues regarding the harmful effects of DDT on the atmosphere and living things were posed in the early 1970s.
• The United States in 1973, The Agency for Environmental Protection has banned the use of DDT in the U. S.

Structure of DDT and its operation

• C₁₄H₉Cl₅ is the DDT molecular formula. It is strongly hydrophobic and not water-soluble and soluble in most of the organic solvents like fats, oils.
• It is naturally formed by a chloral (CCl₃CHO) interaction with chlorobenzene (C₆H₅Cl) in the presence of a sulphuric acid catalyst (H₂SO₄).
• If the plants are sprayed with DDT, the insects living on the crops are exposed to it. It damages the nerves of the bug, which leads to death eventually.

Effect of DDT

DDT will be a hazardous material and in humans, it contributes to a variety of diseases.

• Breast cancer
• Liver cancer
• Diabetes
• Cancer and tumour
• DDT is a highly toxic and harmful chemical for a wide range of species, including mammals, birds, fish, and so on.
• In some bird species, the thinning of eggshells and low reproductive rate are responsible for creating egg breakage as well as an embryo dies.