Autism and DDT: What one million pregnancies can — and can’t — reveal

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Autism and DDT: What one million pregnancies can — and can’t — reveal
Analysis finds that prenatal exposure to the pesticide is associated with a higher risk of severe autism with intellectual impairment.
Sara Reardon  |  16 AUGUST 2018
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05994-1

Mothers with high levels of the pesticide DDT in their blood during pregnancy are more likely to bear children who develop autism, according to a study of blood samples from more than one million pregnant women in Finland.

[...]

The study, published on 16 August in the American Journal of Psychiatry¹, also examined mothers’ exposure to another set of chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and found no association between these substances and autism. That finding deepens questions about whether or how DDT might be linked to autism.

[...]

¹Brown, A. S. et al. Am. J. Psychiatry https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2018.17101129 (2018).  Article   Google Scholar

[Restored]

I thought DDT was banned

[thackney]

I thought DDT was banned

Global Status of DDT and Its Alternatives for Use in Vector Control to Prevent Disease
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2801202/

...DDT has been recommended as part of the arsenal of insecticides available for indoor residual spraying until suitable alternatives are available. Approximately 14 countries use DDT for disease control, and several countries are preparing to reintroduce DDT. The effectiveness of DDT depends on local settings and merits close consideration in relation to the alternatives....

...The Stockholm Convention seeks the elimination of 12 chemicals or classes of chemicals, one of which is dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) [United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 2002]. DDT is used in indoor spraying for control of vectors of malaria and visceral leishmaniasis. In negotiations that led to the treaty, there was concern that a sudden ban on DDT use could adversely affect the malaria burden. Thus, DDT was permitted to be produced and used for the purpose of controlling disease vectors in accordance with recommendations and guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) and when locally safe, effective, and affordable alternatives are not available (WHO 2007a). Ironically, DDT use in Africa has increased since the Stockholm Convention came into effect....

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Updated 2017 link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5629760/

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I thought DDT was banned

Many places have banned it for agricultural use, which is different from vector control.

In places where it wasn't banned for agricultural use (e.g., India), it's now nearly useless, as tolerances have built up so there are mosquito and other problems.

[goodwithagun]

Many places have banned it for agricultural use, which is different from vector control.

In places where it wasn't banned for agricultural use (e.g., India), it's now nearly useless, as tolerances have built up so there are mosquito and other problems.

We had a harsh winter here, colder than it’s been in a few years. I hate the cold but my reaction was positive: Hey, at least it will kill off some of the ticks and skeeters. Yeah. No such luck. They’re as bad this year as they were last year. My husband’s hypothesis is that DDT and other insecticides have created superbugs, much like antibacterial hand products created microscopic superbugs.

[Sanguine]

I believe it's still used in Mexico too.

[thackney]

I believe it's still used in Mexico too.

The production and use of DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) has been eliminated in Canada,
Mexico, and the United States under a North American Regional Action Plan (NARAP) negotiated by the
three signatory countries to the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC).

http://www3.cec.org/islandora/en/item/1968-ddt-no-longer-used-in-north-america-en.pdf