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CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
DDT, epigenetic harm, and transgenerational environmental justice
Environmental health, Vol.13(1), pp.62-62
08/02/2014
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/101334
PMCID: PMC4124473
PMID: 25086599
Abstract
Although the environmentally harmful effects of widespread dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) use became well-known following Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962), its human health effects have more recently become clearer. A ban on the use of DDT has been in place for over 30 years, but recently DDT has been used for malaria control in areas such as Africa. Recent work shows that DDT has transgenerational effects in progeny and generations never directly exposed to DDT. These effects have health implications for individuals who are not able to have any voice in the decision to use the pesticide. The transgenerational effects of DDT are considered in light of some widely accepted ethical principles. We argue that this reframes the decision to use DDT, requiring us to incorporate new considerations, and new kinds of decision making, into the deliberative process that determines its ongoing use. Ethical considerations for intergenerational environmental justice are presented that include concern and respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, and justice. Here, we offer a characterization of the kinds of ethical considerations that must be taken into account in any satisfactory decisions to use DDT.
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Details
- Title
- DDT, epigenetic harm, and transgenerational environmental justice
- Creators
- William P Kabasenche - Center for Reproductive Biology, School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USAMichael K Skinner - Center for Reproductive Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
- Publication Details
- Environmental health, Vol.13(1), pp.62-62
- Academic Unit
- Biological Sciences, School of; Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs, School of
- Publisher
- BioMed Central
- Identifiers
- 99900546700501842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article