Placing trays of carbon on soil contaminated with DDT eliminates up to 60 percent of this insecticide, a persistent organic pollutant, according to a study at the Autonomous University of Mexico. The study is in progress, but is promising because in the laboratory it showed that it can degrade a large portion of the DDT (dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane) found in soil samples, without creating waste. It is as simple as placing trays of carbon like ethanol, toluene and phenol in contaminated areas, UAM chemist Adela Ortiz told Tierramérica.

The study is seen as an effective and cheap solution for ridding large areas of land of the toxic insecticide that has been used in many countries to fight malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Research shows DDT to be a carcinogen and a cause of birth defects and neurological and cardiovascular damage