HomeUploadUpload DirectHotlinkRandomAbouttheme toggle
Expand

Demonizing DDT: Challenging The Scare Campaign That Has Cost Millions of Lives

Views:916
@ReasonVids

In The Excellent Powder: DDT's Political and Scientific History, Richard Tren and Donald Roberts argue that the infamous insecticide is the world's greatest public-health success stories, saving millions of lives by preventing insect-borne disease. Unfortunately for those in areas still infested with mosquitoes and other flying bugs, DDT is also the world's most-misunderstood substance, the target of a decades-long scientifically ignorant and ideologically motivated campaign that has vastly limited its use and applications.

From Rachel Carson in the 1960s to contemporary critics, DDT has been the object of what Roberts, a professor of tropical public health at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, calls "scare campaigns" that link DDT to "theoretical harms to wildlife and human life that simply don't exist."

Dubbed "the excellent powder" by Winston Churchill for its life-saving qualities, DDT has the potential to transform the developing world from a malarial hell into something else again. Yet as Tren, the winner of the 2009 Julian L. Simon Award, warns, under current international conventions, global DDT production is scheduled to be halted in 2017, thereby consigning much of the world to less-effective and more-expensive alternatives that will consign millions of poor people to living hell.

Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie sat down with Tren and Roberts, who are part of Africa Fighting Malaria, to talk about how DDT got such a bad rap and what can be done to set the record straight.

Approximately 9.15 minutes. Shot by Meredith Bragg and Dan Hayes; edited by Hayes and Josh Swain.

Go to http://reason.tv for downloadable iPod, HD, and audio versions, and for links to the book and more.

reason.tv
,
reason.com
,
reason.org
,
reason magazine
,
reason foundation
,
ddt
,
rachel carson
,
earth day
,
richard tren
,
donald roberts
,
excellent powder
,
environmentalism
,
stockholm convention
,
malaria
,
africa fighting malaria
,
nick gillespie
,
dan hayes
,
meredith bragg
,
josh swain
    Thumbnail for We The Living: Trailer to the new DVD version of the 1942 film based on Ayn Rand's novel4:14
    We The Living: Trailer to the new DVD version of the 1942 film based on Ayn Rand's novel
    ReasonVids
    903 views
    Thumbnail for Will Regulation Ruin School Choice in New Orleans?7:42
    Will Regulation Ruin School Choice in New Orleans?
    ReasonVids
    920 views
    Thumbnail for Freaky goatnigger0:08
    Freaky goatnigger
    x0x7
    230 views
    Thumbnail for Jonathan "El Gringo" : Mas venezolano que la Arepa | Finalmente 👓 | Connector House1:17:12
    Jonathan "El Gringo" : Mas venezolano que la Arepa | Finalmente 👓 | Connector House
    invidious
    133 views
    Thumbnail for Gypsycrusader popeyes1:23
    Gypsycrusader popeyes
    pirate
    690 views
    Thumbnail for Epic Troll: YouTuber Screams At City Council Meeting While Portraying An Extreme Leftist5:53
    Epic Troll: YouTuber Screams At City Council Meeting While Portraying An Extreme Leftist
    AOU
    879 views
    Thumbnail for Life lesson taught the hard way...0:13
    Life lesson taught the hard way...
    bestofpoal
    1056 views
    Thumbnail for Jiggle girls0:13
    Jiggle girls
    AmericanMuskrat
    177 views
    Thumbnail for There was an attempt: to remove him from a public area0:26
    There was an attempt: to remove him from a public area
    publicfreakouts
    758 views
    Thumbnail for Anti-Fascist Action6:08
    Anti-Fascist Action
    murdochmurdoch
    1347 views
    Thumbnail for The Not So Chosen People Part 4 of 624:19
    The Not So Chosen People Part 4 of 6
    allAheadFull
    434 views
    Thumbnail for Old ABC report about the dancing Israelis2:20
    Old ABC report about the dancing Israelis
    bestofvoatxyz
    671 views
    Thumbnail for GoyVision Pro1:32
    GoyVision Pro
    x0x7
    356 views
    Thumbnail for you know thats right!0:06
    you know thats right!
    bestofupgoat
    454 views
    Thumbnail for The Right to Bear Arms Is Still a Check on Tyranny1:45
    The Right to Bear Arms Is Still a Check on Tyranny
    ReasonVids
    998 views
    Thumbnail for If They’re Gonna Steal All That Deodorant, They Could At Least Use It Sometime.1:00
    If They’re Gonna Steal All That Deodorant, They Could At Least Use It Sometime.
    AOUisgay
    1041 views
    Thumbnail for Disturbing Video Shows Walgreens Pharmacist Refusing To Fill Man's Ivermectin Prescription3:49
    Disturbing Video Shows Walgreens Pharmacist Refusing To Fill Man's Ivermectin Prescription
    AOU
    2889 views
    Thumbnail for I think it's good when you smile at people and they smile back0:26
    I think it's good when you smile at people and they smile back
    AOUisgay
    519 views
    Thumbnail for It's bullshit but I believe it2:06
    It's bullshit but I believe it
    bestofupgoat
    109 views
    Thumbnail for Mudshark gets pistolwhipped by a nigger.0:12
    Mudshark gets pistolwhipped by a nigger.
    bestofvoatxyz
    891 views
    Thumbnail for new ai slop dropped2:25
    new ai slop dropped
    bestofupgoat
    96 views
    Thumbnail for The Surprising Origin of the Six Million Lie1:10:38
    The Surprising Origin of the Six Million Lie
    bestofvoatxyz
    847 views
    Thumbnail for David Irving: Churchill was a Drunken Bum, an Homicidal Maniacal Zionist Shill17:09
    David Irving: Churchill was a Drunken Bum, an Homicidal Maniacal Zionist Shill
    AOUisgay
    491 views
    Thumbnail for Remedy reveal new shooter + is Sony bringing Concord back? | This Week in Videogames | Skill Up36:16
    Remedy reveal new shooter + is Sony bringing Concord back? | This Week in Videogames | Skill Up
    invidious
    194 views
    Thumbnail for «Буферні зони» Путіна | Віталій Портников | Віталій Портников1:00
    «Буферні зони» Путіна | Віталій Портников | Віталій Портников
    invidious
    175 views

points

Permalink
Reply
reason.tv
,
reason.com
,
reason.org
,
reason magazine
,
reason foundation
,
ddt
,
rachel carson
,
earth day
,
richard tren
,
donald roberts
,
excellent powder
,
environmentalism
,
stockholm convention
,
malaria
,
africa fighting malaria
,
nick gillespie
,
dan hayes
,
meredith bragg
,
josh swain
TOS  •  Add Keywords  •  Donate  •   Analytics  •   DMCA  •   Puzzle