Subject: Acute DDT POISONING circa 1949-----------
Date: Fri, 05 Jan 2001 07:47:33 -0500
From: Stephen Tvedten <steve@getipm.com>
Organization: Get Set Inc. (www.getipm.com)
To: Paul Helliker <phelliker@cdpr.ca.gov>
Director, State
of California, Department of Pesticide Regulation
cc: Carol Browner browner.carol@epa.gov
Dear Mr. Helliker,
I thought you might like to read an e-mail that Jim West sent me on
the English translation of the German study done in 1949 on DDT, the
only source that I could find that describes the physiology of acute DDT
poisoning:
"Conspicuous histological degeneration was, however,
often found in the central nervous system.
The most striking ones were found in the cerebellum, mainly in the
nucleus dentatus and the cortex cells. Among
other things an increase of the neuroglia and a necrotic degeneration and
resorption of ganglionic cells was found.
The Purkinje cells were less seriously affected than the other neurons.
Also in the spinal cord abnormalities of a degenerative nature were
found."
"...such changes were not found invariably... there
is neither an obvious relation between the size and spreading of the lesion
and the quantity of DDT applied... information of adequate precision about the
nature of the anomalies is lacking."
"So we find that especially the cerebellum and the
spinal cord are histologically affected by DDT." [Dresden, Daniel,
Physiological Investigations Into The Action Of DDT, G.W. Van Der Wiel &
co., Arnhem (1949), p49]
Is this not similar to the descriptions of polio
physiology? Please correct me if I'm wrong in this assumption.
Also, circa 1951, American and Swiss studies found that
calves of cows that were fed with DDT treated fodder came down with nerve
degenerative diseases. At this
year DDT production began went into a steep decline and then rose again with
most production being shipped overseas (for malaria campaigns and
agriculture). DDT was phased out in the U.S. during the 1950s and 1960s, and
registration canceled by 1968. BHC, the other leading persistent pesticide,
followed a similar production curve, which like DDT, very closely correlated
with the line of polio incidence between 1945 and 1972. (see Hayes and Laws
for pesticide production statistics, US Vital Statistics for polio incidence.)
Coincidentally, by 1954, Jonas Salk was being hailed as
the savior of mankind (his research began around 1951). Coincidentally, the
Director of Polio Research for the March of Dimes, had also been the leading
DDT consultant to the Surgeon General. More research needs to be done on this
"innuendo", but what authoritative body will do an objective study?
I have read that the NIH has similar studies in their
files, which were done during the 1940s and 1950s.
-Jim West
Well, Mr. Helliker,
In 1948, Paul Miller received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for
developing this carcinogenic pesticide/poison (that interferes with the
conduction of nerve impulses) first synthesized by Zeidler in 1874. A cyclodiene chlorinated hydrocarbon introduced as a miracle
cure in 1942. In 1950, a Syracuse
University study suspected DDT was mimicking estrogen when young roosters that
had been injected with DDT failed to develop combs or normal testes.
Rachel Carson again noted its dangers in 1962 and it was finally banned
in the U. S. only 30 years later as an earth/people destroyer in 1972.
DDT is cumulative, a probable human carcinogen, mutagen, fetotoxin,
immunotoxin and neurotoxin. DDT
causes hormonal changes, aplastic anemia and liver damage. Metabolites include
DDD and DDE. It still is found contaminating the earth and its
inhabitants. Quite often I STILL
find containers of this banned carcinogenic, "registered" poison
stored in people’s homes and garages. An
old advertisement for DDT has a proud woman appearing with dancing farm
animals who sing, "DDT is good for me."
I believe that DDT can be considered the first pyrethroid. White's Point, California sewage fall-out has sediments that
contain as much as 100 metric tons of technical DDT, biologically available to
all sea creatures and thus to all land animals that consume them.
You guys "registered" this terrible toxin and we all carry
its metabolite DDE in our fat and blood.
Does that decision make you proud or cautious?
Respectfully, Stephen
L. Tvedten
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