Ddt

/ˌdi.di.ˈti/ noun

Definition

A powerful insecticide chemical that was widely used to kill mosquitoes and other insects but was banned in many countries because it's toxic and harms the environment.

Etymology

An acronym for dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, a synthetic pesticide developed in Switzerland in 1874 and mass-produced during World War II to control malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

Kelly Says

DDT is a perfect example of how something can seem like a miracle cure at first—it saved millions of lives from malaria—but later we discovered it was poisoning the environment and accumulating in animals' bodies in terrifying amounts.

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