The abbreviation for the insecticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane. was once widely used in the fight against diseases that are transmitted by insects, particularly in hot climates. However, some insects have developed resistance, which can be passed on to offspring.
(See also pesticides.)
See DICHLORODIPHENYL TRICHLOROETHANE.
(chlorophenothane, dicophane) n. a powerful insecticide that was formerly widely used against lice, fleas, flies, bed bugs, cockroaches, and other disease-carrying and destructive insects. It is a relatively stable compound that is stored in animal fats, and the quantities now present in the environment – in the form of stores accumulated in animal tissues – have led to its use being restricted. Acute poisoning, from swallowing more than 20 g, produces nervous irritability, muscle twitching, convulsions, and coma, but only a few fatalities have been reported.
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