APES DDT and TOC

Why was DDT originally produced"?

it was produced during the second half of WWI with intentions of reducing malaria risk for troops abroad

What was DDT promoted for after WWI?

for agriculture and household pesticide uses

arthropods

invertebrate animals with segmented bodies, jointed legs, and hard outer shells - ants, spiders, etc.

Why is DDT considered a Broad-spectrum insecticide?

it effectively kills many arthropods

Target vs. nontarget

DDT kills nontarget arthropods like bees and wasps in addition to the target of mosquitos

Who wrong Silent Spring?

Rachel Carson

What was Silent Spring known for?

Raising questions about impacts of DDT to birds and larger wildlife

Why was it called Silent Spring?

With DDT impacted populations, a supposed spring would be unnaturally quiet, hence Silent Spring

Bioaccumulation

an increase in the concentration of a chemical in the organism over time

Biomagnification

an increase in the concentration of a chemical throughout the food chain over time

fat soluble

a compound that sticks to you overtime unlike vitamins which are flushed out; they dissolve in fats and oils and are retained throughout the body

endocrine disruptor

DDT is a chemical that interferes with the body’s natural hormone system

What are some symptoms of DDT endocrine disruption?

thinned eggshells, hormone imbalances in mammals

How long is the half-life of DDT?

around 2-15 years, so extremely long

What is Silent Spring often credited with?

beginning the modern environmental movement

Where is DDT banned now?

In countries like the US and member countries of the Stockholm Convention

Where is DDT still used?

Many developing countries trying to battle malaria

How many lives has DDT use saved?

around 25 million lives

What is the trend of malaria mortality and treatments over time?

when malaria was treated with quinine only, cases were going up, but they decreased significantly after the use of DDT and now the disease is growing resistance, so cases are going up

What strategies are there other than DDT that can be used to deal with mosquitos?

mosquito nets, reducing standing war, mosquito fish, bug repellant, more specific pesticides

What is an example of a nonpersistent pesticide that can be used as an alternative to DDT?

Organophosphates

What has the focus shifted to in terms of pests across the world?

The management of pests is prioritized instead of eradication

Who introduced the Tragedy of Commons concept?

economist William Forster Lloyd

Who later reintroduced the concept of TOC?

Garrett Hardin

What are some of the side effects of TOC?

Overgrazing, overfishing, overpopulation, pollution, social and environmental problems

What is the key feature of the tragedy of commons?

provides an opportunity for an individual to benefit him or herself while spreading out any negative effects across the larger population

Connect the key feature of TOC to fishing.

Every person who fishes is motivated to take as many as they can for themselves, while any decline in fish reproduction is shared by the entire village

Explain TOC for antibiotics.

overuse of antibiotics leading to short-term gains in livestock production and fighting human illnesses, but leads to rising antibiotic resistance which threatens entire population

Explain TOC for coal production.

coal fired power plant produces cheap electricity and profits for the owners, but the pollution from mining and burning coal spreads across the entire atmosphere

Give some other examples of TOC.

Littering, water shortages, deforestation, traffic jams, bottled water,

What is the tragedy of commons?

a situation in which individuals with access to a shared resource act in their own self interest, ultimately depleting the resource

Ways to prevent the tragedy of commons.

shift consumption away from products and brands that contribute to environmental harm towards more sustainable alternatives

What are the essential components required for something to be considered an example of the Tragedy of Commons

a shared resource, individual self-interest, absence of effective constraints,