Voice of the People: DDT did the job on bugs
By DOROTHY BROWN GRIGGS, Brawley
Saturday, July 31, 2010 12:16 AM PDT
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# Voice of the People: DDT did the job on bugs
I just finished reading your article about “Bedbugs in Valley” and of the problem appearing nationwide. I’m not a bit surprised and I can tell you why they’re making a comeback. They have been ignored for years.
In the late ’40s or early ’50s, my brother and another man in our community, was employed to spray every house in Mississippi County, Mo., with DDT to kill all pest, which included bedbugs. I distinctly remember the rules about dishes and food. People were told to set them on the counter, so they could spray inside the cabinets, with instructions to cover everything with a towel. I do not remember my brother or his fellow worker wearing a mask. They sprayed generously, inside and outside every home … twice.
I never heard of anyone getting sick or dying from the spray.
My brother was always introduced by one farmer as the person who got rid of all the bedbugs in Mississippi County. It’s true.
Then one day, DDT was ruled unsafe and outlawed. For about 60 years I’ve not heard of any bedbug infestation, in our country, until today. Personally, I felt DDT was a safe product and should not have been banned. That’s my opinion but maybe there’s something I don’t know that caused them to take such action.
via Voice of the People: DDT did the job on bugs – Imperial Valley Press Online – Voice Of The People.