Developed by the Nazis and wrapped in oblivion .. Rediscover the deadliest pesticides

Little Mohamed Western

Researchers have rediscovered fast-acting German insecticides that have been missing since the end of World War II. They are characterized by their rapid effect on disease-carrying insects and their less hazardous impact on the environment than pesticides currently in use.

In a new study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on Friday, the researchers uncovered the alarming and complex history of DFDT, a fast-acting insecticide developed by German scientists during the Nazi regime.

They pointed out that the results of the Second World War influenced the selection of the substance "DDT" with high risks to the environment as a major insecticide during the twentieth century instead of the German pesticide more effective and less dangerous to the environment.

"We have begun to study the growth of crystals in an unknown insecticide and have uncovered its surprising history, including the impact of World War II on the choice of DDT-not dfdt," says New York University chemistry professor and lead author Bart Kaher. "- A major insecticide of the twentieth century."

The discovery of a new pesticide
Two years ago, Bart Cahir and Michael Ward of New York University, co-authors of the study, developed a new crystalline form of DDT that is more effective against insects with less use, reducing its environmental impact.

By further exploring the crystalline structure of pesticides, the researchers studied new forms of DDT by replacing chlorine atoms with fluorine on the molecule of the compound.

The team then tested two forms of the new material on flies for mosquito fruit, including mosquitoes carrying malaria, yellow fever, dengue and zika.

The test results showed that the new compound "DFDT" kills insects more than two to four times faster than "DDT".

A forgotten history
In addition, researchers have uncovered, through historical documents, a forgotten history of DFT dating back to World War II.

The documents show that the pesticide was developed by scientists in Germany and used by the German army to control insects during its campaign against the Soviet Union and in North Africa. In contrast, the US military used DDT in Europe and the South Pacific.

With the end of the war and the collapse of Nazi Germany, the manufacture of the DFT pesticide ceased. US military officials who interviewed Third Reich scientists have dismissed German claims that the substance works faster than DDT and is less toxic to mammals, calling their studies "meager" and "inadequate" in military intelligence reports.

Scientists were surprised to discover that a faster and less environmentally friendly competitor to DDT lost the race because of geopolitical and economic conditions, not scientific reasons, that would have changed the course of the 20th century and prevented the spread of many diseases and epidemics known today.

The need for new insecticides
Today, mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, which kill a child every two minutes, are a major public health concern, leading to 200 million infections annually. Modern diseases such as Zika also pose growing threats to health in the face of a changing climate.

At the same time, mosquitoes are increasingly resistant to insecticides that are currently used for the pyrethroid, which is harmless and of limited effect.

Public health officials therefore feel the need to reconsider the use of DDT, which has been banned for decades in most parts of the world except for selective use of malaria.

But its controversial history and environmental impact are leading to the development of new insecticides with powerful, rapid and less hazardous environmental impact, a specification that appears to be available in BDFDT.