Boys’ Genital Defects Linked to Pesticides

DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane), an insecticide, has been connected to male genital birth defects, according to a South African study. Until the 1980s, DDT was widely used in agriculture until it was banned in the developed countries because of the dangers involved. It is, however, still used in many parts of the world to combat malaria.
Researchers looked at villages in South Africa, comparing those that were sprayed with DDT with those what were not. They specifically targeted women who gave birth and who stayed at home, not attending school elsewhere or working outside of the village, maximizing their exposure, if any, to …read more