DDT (dichlorodiphenyl-tricholoroethane) was so effective against insect pests, people were painting it on their window screens! Kids, unaware of the serious health effects, ran behind fogging trucks when municipalities sprayed neighborhoods to kill mosquitoes. US Person was guilty of this incredibly stupid play and offers only his youthful naivete and parental ignorance as an excuse. People exposed to high amounts on their skin or by breathing airborne particles experienced dizziness, sweating, headache, nausea, and vomiting. Animal testing shows that long-term moderate exposure damages the liver and can affect reproduction. DDT is lipophilic, so it accumulates in fatty tissues. DDT was first synthesized in 1874, but its insecticidal properties were not discovered until 1939 by a Swiss chemist who received the 1948 Nobel Prize for Medicine for his discovery. It was used extensively during the war to control malaria and typhus. Sherwin Williams, the paint company, began marketing DDT as a paintable product in the mid-1940s under the trade name "Pestroy". At its peak of use, DDT was registered for use on 334 agricultural commodities and about 85,000 tons of it was produced in the US. DDT was banned in the US in 1972. It is now only to be used in case of public health emergencies. Of course the ecological effects of such an inundation were not known for decades until Rachel Carson, a federal government biologist and other conservationists sounded the alarm. Her 1962 book "Silent Spring" is now a classic of conservation. Carson's book and reputation was viciously attacked by chemical companies. The our national symbol, the bald eagle, was almost extirpated by DDT because it weakened the shell of its eggs. The eagle was just one of the more prominent wildlife victims of indescriminate use of DDT. DDT is now known to be a probable human carcinogen. Something similar to the case of DDT is occurring with the continued use of neonicotinoid pesticides despite increasing scientific evidence it is contributing to the demise of the honeybee.