Question

What is DDT among the following?
A.Greenhouse effect
B.A fertilizer
C.Biodegradable pollutant
D.Non-biodegradable pollutant

Answer 1

Until recently, DDT is a synthetic insecticide of very high contact toxicity which was used on a global scale. However, it has been discovered that DDT, ingested by livestock and transferred to humans in meat and milk, accumulates in the subcutaneous fat of the human body.

Complete step by step answer:
DDT, also known as Dichloro-Diphenyl Trichloroethane, is a colourless, tasteless and odourless organic compound used as an insecticides or pesticide. It is a persistent organic pollutant that is readily adsorbed to soils and sediments, which can act both as sinks and as long-term sources of exposure affecting organisms.
Non-biodegradable pollutants are those pollutants which can’t be broken down into simpler and harmless substances in nature. It is a non-biodegradable substance because it cannot be decomposed by the micro-organisms and is capable of exerting its harmful effects on the environment. This is because till date there is no such enzyme has been found in any microbes that can degrade DDT.
DDT, plastics, insecticides, pesticides, polythene bags, arsenic, mercury, lead, metal articles like synthetic fibres, glass objects, aluminium cans, silver foils and iron products are non-biodegradable pollutants.

Therefore, the correct answer is option (D).

Note: Human health effects from DDT at low environmental doses are not known. Following exposure to high doses, human symptoms can include vomiting, tremors or shakiness, and seizures. Laboratory animal studies showed effects on the liver and reproduction. DDT is considered a possible human carcinogen. Some studies in humans linked DDT levels in the body with breast cancer. Other studies in humans have linked exposure to DDT/DDE with having lymphoma, leukaemia, and pancreatic cancer.