Editor’s Note: Toxic Guru is a new monthly column. The author, Mark Mitchell, is a board-certified industrial hygienist, registered occupational hygienist and certified safety professional. He worked as a high school science teacher before that.

Dear Toxic Guru,

My father purchased a piece of lake property in 1965. Eventually he built a cabin and used it as a hunting camp. During the summers, he got severely bitten by gnats and decided to spray the area with pesticides containing DDT. Several summers later, the product was outlawed.

Since then, I inherited the family property. In the process of remodeling the leaking roof and sagging floors, I discovered some bottles of Dad’s DDT! Now my husband wants to use it around the cabin, stating most countries rely on DDT, and there’s nothing to be scared of. I, on the other hand, am freaked out at the thought of him even opening the bottles. Is this stuff really all that bad or should I give him the green light to use the DDT? – Hatfield versus McCoy

Dear Ms. Versus,

Wow! Now this is a throwback to the ’60s! Inheriting a few bottles of genuine dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), eh? That’s a new one on The Guru. My sitar is vibrating the tune “Blowin’ in the Wind.”

Since there is a PGIA (potential generational information awareness) gap going on here, let’s give the young folks a quick DDT primer.

. DDT was developed as an insecticide in the late 1930s to battle insect-borne human diseases.

. Its use in agriculture steadily grew to a peak of 80 million pounds applied in 1959.

. Insect resistance and claims of wildlife damage resulted in its ban for general application in 1972.

. DDT is now only used in a few countries to control malaria.

Legally speaking, the short answer to giving your husband the “green light” is a definite no.

Pesticides are categorized as either “general use” or “restricted use” by the Environmental Protection Agency. General-use pesticides are relatively safe for the environment and the user. Restricted-use pesticides are either banned from use or are still legal to use, but require special training and certification by the user. DDT is banned.

Is this stuff really all that bad, you ask? Welcome to the debate! Arguments thunder on both sides.

DDT is not nearly as toxic to humans as other chemical formulations. This is one of the main reasons why it was so popular. One quick way to loosely gauge relative toxicity of chemicals is to hear what the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists tells us. They recommend what exposure levels will keep workers healthy during a lifetime of work. These health scientists agree that occupational exposure to lead is 100 times more toxic than exposure to DDT.

On the other hand, this chemical is highly toxic to aquatic organisms, including fish. So if your cabin is along a stream or lake, getting it in the water could definitely make your aquatic neighbors unhappy.

So, like most things in life, even DDT has its own yin and yang. Not so humanly toxic, but banned for use. Play it safe, stay legal: Have your nearest county waste transfer station dispose of the bottles. Tell your husband there are far smarter things to get busted for than for spraying DDT. Then chalk one up for the Hatfields!

For questions, e-mail Mark Mitchell at tg1@toxicguru.com.