DDT

Regional record

Western New York history

• Western New York's DDT history is tied to pesticide manufacture, formulation, agricultural handling, and disposal rather than one industry or county.
• Atlas records include properties where agency documents name DDT or related organochlorine pesticides; historic agricultural use alone is not mapped as a cleanup site.

These examples summarize the linked Atlas place records. Open those records for site-specific dates, findings, cleanup actions, and sources.

Environmental behavior

Persistence and movement

DDT and its breakdown products bind to soil and sediment, persist for decades, and biomagnify through food webs.

Pathways

How exposure may occur

• Eating contaminated food, fish, or wildlife
• Ingesting contaminated soil or dust
• Occupational contact during historical manufacture or application

People

Potential long-term human effects

• Long-term exposure may affect the liver, nervous system, reproduction, development, and hormones.
• Health agencies evaluate DDT for potential cancer risk.

Other living systems

Potential ecological effects

• DDE famously caused eggshell thinning and reproductive failure in birds of prey.
• DDT-family compounds can affect reproduction, development, endocrine function, and survival in aquatic and terrestrial wildlife.

Limits

Important uncertainty

Results should distinguish DDT from DDE and DDD because their proportions help describe weathering and environmental history.