When was DDT banned in the United States? The pesticide called DDT was banned in the United States in wrote a book called Silent Spring which acted as the catalyst of the modern environmental movement and led to the banning of DDT.

Answer: DDT (Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane) was banned for agricultural use in the United States in 1972. This decision was largely influenced by the environmental concerns raised by Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring," which was published in 1962.

Extra: DDT is a synthetic organic compound used as an insecticide. It was first synthesized in 1874, but its insecticidal properties weren't discovered until 1939. After World War II, DDT was widely used in agriculture and for controlling vector borne diseases like malaria.

Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" pointed out the negative environmental impacts of indiscriminate DDT use such as the thinning of eggshells in birds of prey which led to population declines. Her book raised public awareness about the dangers of pesticide overuse and its effect on the environment and human health.

The environmental concerns highlighted by Carson led to an investigation by the newly formed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States. After reviewing the scientific evidence the EPA concluded that DDT posed a potential risk to human health and wildlife and that its agricultural use should be banned. Although DDT is no longer permitted for agricultural use in the U.S it is sometimes still used for public health purposes specifically for controlling mosquitoes that spread malaria in some parts of the world, under carefully controlled conditions.