ABSTRACT
The first of the organochlorine insecticides to be widely used was DDT. Discovered by Paul Muller of the Swiss firm Geigy in 1939, it was used by Allied forces during World War II for vector control. After the war it quickly gained ground as an insecticide for many purposes-for controlling agricultural and horticultural pests, vectors of disease, houseflies, cockroaches, and other nuisance organisms, and parasites of farm animals. It was some time before the downside of this wonder insecticide came to be recognized. Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring, published in 1962, drew attention to undesirable side effects it was having in the natural environment and raised questions about the possible human health hazards that might be presented by residues of DDT.
