Oh No You DDT

Melting Antarctic glaciers may be releasing DDT, says study 4

Adélie penguins in the Antarctic are as chock-full of pesticide DDT as they were in the 1970s, even though global DDT use has dropped 80 percent in the past three decades, says new research published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. Researchers speculate that climate change is at fault -- honestly, is there anything climate change is not mucking up? -- as concentrations of the pesticide that had been trapped in ice are released by glacial melt and travel up the food chain. DDT has been banned in the northern hemisphere, but the World Health Organization has endorsed its controlled use to fight malaria in Africa. The purpose of the study "was not to further vilify DDT," says lead author Heidi Geisz, but to research how persistent the pesticide and other pollutants of its ilk can be.

Related Stories

Advertisement
Advertisement

  1. Wolverine Posted 5:20 am
    27 May 2008

    Not To Further Vilify DDT?Why in hell not?  Obviously, some people still think it's OK to poison the Earth with this crap, so vilify away.  In fact, all petrochemical pesticides should be vilified in all parts of the world.  Any crops that can't be grown organically shouldn't be grown, period, and even many of the plant-based pesticides should be elimiated.

    Permalink

  2. Delay And Deny's avatar

    Delay And Deny Posted 11:36 am
    27 May 2008

    Balance of NatureAs pestiferous insects swarm up the coasts like Killer Bees, the melting permafrost releases clouds of DDT southward.  Fanned by the flippers of helpful penguins, the DDT stalls somewhere in Camden, NJ they meet, annihilating the malaria squad and saving the nation.

    Permalink

  3. BlackBear Posted 9:45 pm
    27 May 2008

    Strike one!While I'm quite fond of jabailo, and think his attempts at skepticism are humorous, I can't help but point something out.
    The penguins in question live in the Antarctic, not the Arctic. It would be a neat trick to see penguins blow anything south to New Jersey.
    Ahh well, I don't suppose he was going to factual accuracy anyway, given his other posts around here.

    Permalink

  4. DarthPetrol Posted 4:57 am
    28 May 2008

    SureWhile you are at at we should just demand that the world's poor all shop at "Whole Foods".

    Permalink

Add a Comment

You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have an account, log in. If you don't have an account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five.

Hello, Visitor!    Why not register?

Viewed
More
Commented
More
Advertisement