The Stockholm Convention (or ‘POPs Treaty’) is an international treaty calling for the phase out of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), including DDT. But since it was signed in 2001, use of DDT has doubled, announced the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Many countries still apply the chemical as a blanket spray, rather than selectively as required by WHO guidelines, due to severe lack of financial and technical resources to deal with malaria problems.

Scientific studies link DDT to miscarriages, failure to breastfeed, male infertility, abnormalities in sexual organs, developmental delays in children, and it is listed by the US EPA as a ‘probable’ carcinogen. DDT is transported by wind and water, concentrating in polar regions where it builds up in marine mammals and other foods of indigenous communities. DDT and its breakdown products persist in the environment for decades.

During the Third Conference of Parties to the Stockholm Convention (30 April-4 May) in Dakar, Senegal, the Director of the WHO Office on Public Health and Environment, Dr Maria Neira, addressed a large audience of government officials from around the world at a WHO/UNEP side event entitled ‘Reducing Reliance on DDT While Strengthening Malaria Control.’ She stated categorically that WHO strongly supports the Stockholm Convention, and is committed to reducing reliance on DDT in malaria control and eventually eliminating its use in accordance with the Convention. She stressed that this has been the case since the Convention came into existence. Dr. Neira confirmed that WHO is ‘very much concerned with health consequences [resulting from] use of DDT.’

In September 2006, a WHO spokesperson claimed that ‘DDT has a clean bill of health.’ This incorrect statement has caused confusion around the world. In fact, DDT exposure carries elevated risks of human reproductive disorders and is especially dangerous for developing infants and children. The WHO International Programme on Chemical Safety is updating the risk assessment on DDT with an evaluation of the impacts of indoor spraying against malaria vectors. A recent study found that impaired semen quality in rural South Africa was significantly higher in men living in houses sprayed with DDT.
NGOs, including PAN, were well represented at the meeting and called on government delegates to take action on funding for safer alternatives.

A UNEP speaker emphasized that Integrated Vector Management should be the centrepiece of efforts to reduce DDT, with the use of other pesticides a last option in cases where non-chemical controls are not sufficient. Dr. Lucien Manga of WHO African Regional office said WHO has a clear policy of using Integrated Vector Management programmes to control malaria, and that this approach combines engagement with local communities; knowledge of local factors that influence disease transmission; and use of a range of interventions that ‘need to demonstrate the effectiveness of alternatives in their own country.’

‘Far too little money and technical support are dedicated to address the global malaria epidemic, and DDT is mistakenly seen as a cheap and easy solution,’ said Henry Diouf of PAN Africa. ‘African countries need action on this matter now to avoid their peoples inheriting a legacy of chronic health problems.’

‘DDT intended for public health use will inevitably be diverted to illegal agricultural use, resulting in greater human exposures and contamination,’ said Dr. Paul Saoke, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Kenya. ‘This hastens the development of resistant mosquito populations, leading to even more malaria cases.’

A successful Stockholm Convention will require adequate financing, clear implementation plans that include civil society participation and the political will to keep the promise of the Stockholm Convention. The International POPs Elimination Network and PAN pledged to continue their efforts to implement the Convention in all countries, and called upon governments and all stakeholders to do the same. (LC)