Can you provide evidence that DDT caused the extinction of thousands of species?
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Alan2*In a short period of time DDT concentrated enough to thin the eggshells of predator species. Had DDT exposure continued the species affected would have walked down the food chain to omnivorous species. It was stopped but had it wiped out predator species the natural food chain would have been severely disrupted. That tens of thousands or more species would have been affected and made extinct is certain. An ecology student could explain better.
What I am telling you is the logical deduction of things I have read about what DDT was doing to eggshells and I know enough biology to know what an ecology student understands without the detail he or she knows. DDT concentrates like mercury does now. Wild mercury that was sequestered when the great coal beds were formed in the Carboniferous Period 359.2 to 299 million years ago is being incessantly released and absorbed into the biosphere every day.
DDT did not cause the extinction of thousands of species because it was legislated out of existence. Had that not happened collapse of the biosphere could be doing a Full Monty right now. Millions of species could be going out. DDT exposure is a well understood problem that was solved. Fortunately.
DDT was well understood scientifically and it is a tragedy that science is not respected as it once was when environmental protection was first mandated.