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[QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 40748, member: 636"]
Zimbabwe used DDT pesticide for fifty years after most countries banned the toxic chemical. Scientists found DDT traces inside breast milk from mothers living near Lake Kariba. The government sprayed DDT to kill tsetse flies and mosquitoes because officials said cheaper options did not exist. Medical workers study how DDT harms people through tissue samples and milk tests. Zimbabwe stopped using DDT for farming in 2001 but still allows the chemical for disease control.

DDT damages wildlife populations across the Zambezi Valley region according to university researchers. The pesticide makes bird eggs crack easily and reduces fish numbers throughout Lake Kariba. Eight woodland bird species disappeared from areas where planes sprayed DDT repeatedly over decades. African Goshawk populations dropped sharply after government pest control programs began using the chemical. Wildlife experts blame DDT for causing hormone problems that stop animals from reproducing successfully.

Government agencies sprayed 200 tons of DDT each year during the 1980s peak usage period. Workers treated over 68,000 square kilometers of land with the dangerous pesticide between 1968 and 1990. Some areas received DDT treatments thirteen separate times during this period of intensive spraying. Scientists warn that removing DDT from soil and water requires special cleanup methods. Policymakers must choose safer pest control options to protect human health and animal populations.
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