The Volokh Conspiracy

Anyone wanting to know about the DDT controversy can do much, much worse than starting at Tim Lambert's blog. He has a large number of posts on the subject collected here:
http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/ddt/

OK, this drive me nuts. People with no knowledge, just an opinion.

1st assume everything stated in the linked sites. Next calculate the millions of lives saved if DDT is used. And finally…. The downside is what? Answer? Millions of lives saved.

Yes DDT it self is not the answer. But if? You want to save lives of the most disadvantaged people of the world; it is a hell of a start.

Mosquitoes do in fact develop resistance to DDT. Why? Because DDT works on a very concise system in insects. As you use any pesticide this is obvious. As less control is achieved more pesticide is used. But. If you study the issue, you learn that DDT is not the only solution. It is in the mix of several different insecticides with DDT that will dramatically reduce death

The down side? Well DDT has NEVER been proven to cause cancer. Even if it did, (and it does not) Death at 60 years, or 60 months?

So much for convetional 'wisdom'.... The American Bald Eagle population was in decline 30 years before DDT was used. Soooo it is not the birds. but it is population control of the most poor on the planet.