The US banned the use of DDT in 1972 and millions have since died due to that decision. Seattleite William Ruchelshaus was EPA administrator and made that decision. He did do despite the science. Yes, despite the science, not because of it.
EPA appointed Administrative Law Judge Edmund Sweeney to evaluate DDT. In 1971-2 he conducted a seven-month hearing. EPA actually participated, testifying against DDT!
Judge Sweeney, after 80 days of testimony from 150 expert scientists, ruled that DDT “is not a carcinogenic, mutagenic, or teratogenic hazard to man” and does “not have a deleterious effect on freshwater fish, estuarine organisms, wild birds, or other wild life. There is a present need for the continued use of DDT for the essential uses defined in this case.”
Ruckelshaus in April 1979 told American Farm Bureau Federation that he imposed the ban for political reasons. And millions died.
The UN World Health Org allowed limited use of DDT in 2006 and several African countries are using it to combat malaria, so Ruckelshaus’s damage now continues at a lower level.
