DDT is an organochlorine pesticide that has a notorious history. Once hailed as the savior of millions of lives for its help in eradicating disease-carrying insects, the substance later came under fire for potentially dangerous health and environmental effects, and common use was banned in the United States in 1972.

In 1873, a German graduate student first synthesized DDT, but it was not used as an insecticide until entomologist Dr. Paul Mueller rediscovered the substance in 1939. DDT was so effectual against flies, mosquitoes, and fleas that it was widely employed during World War II to combat typhus, malaria, and other insect-borne illnesses. The great success of the insecticide resulted in the awarding of the Nobel Prize in medicine to Dr. Mueller in 1948.

After the war, DDT became increasingly popular for civilian uses, such as spraying yards. However, when insects began to show a resistance to the long-lasting chemical, concerns developed and various reports began to appear asserting that DDT had toxic affects on fish, birds, and other life forms. Yet, it was Rachel Carson’s widely read book, Silent Spring, published in 1962, that truly began a public a public outcry against DDT and helped propel the restrictions of its use. Interestingly, in recent years an increasing number of scientists have argued that utilization of DDT should be reconsidered in light of little scientific evidence supporting Carson’s claims.