The Rise and Fall of DDT
Social Science/History | Registration opens 5/19/2025 12:00 AM MST (Arizona)
The insecticide DDT is relatively nontoxic to humans, helped turn the tide of the Pacific theater in WWII, dramatically reduced the incidence of malaria in tropical countries, and earned its discoverer the Nobel Prize. Yet by the 1970s, the use of DDT had been banned by the U.S. and many other countries throughout the world. We will look at these and other successes of DDT, as well as the scientific and public opinion reasons for its demise.
Dr. Bill Blaker
Blaker, Dr. Bill - is retired after a 45-year career as a research scientist and university professor. He has received teaching awards from Virginia Tech and Furman University. He has taught university courses in general science, biology, anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, neuroscience, English composition, statistics, and philosophy. Now, he teaches anything he finds interesting.