By Staff Writer - February, 1st 2014

In the early to mid 1950s, DDT became one of the most widely used pesticides. It was thought that it was completely harmless to human beings. When originally it was used to control lice, people were unaffected even though they were in direct contact with the pesticides. DDT concentrations are especially high in human milk. Milk production depends heavily on the use of stored body fat, and this is where DDT tends to stay in our bodies

Natural Health News — Scientists have known for more than 40 years that the synthetic pesticide DDT is harmful to bird habitats and a threat to the environment.

Now a team of researchers from Rutgers University, Emory University and the University of Texas, say exposure to DDT – banned in the United States since 1972 but still used as a pesticide in other countries – may also increase the risk and severity of Alzheimer’s disease in some people, particularly those over the age of 60.

The study, published online in JAMA Neurology, showed that levels of DDE, the chemical compound left when DDT breaks down, were higher in the blood of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease patients compared to those without the disease.

DDT was introduced as a pesticide during WWII and used in the United States and elsewhere for insect control in crops and livestock and to combat insect-borne diseases like malaria.

This study claims to be the …

 

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