DDT affects the nervous system. People who accidentally
swallowed large amounts of DDT became excitable and had tremors
and seizures. These effects went away after the exposure
stopped. No effects were seen in people who took small daily
doses of DDT by capsule for 18 months. A study in humans showed
that women who had high amounts of a form of DDE in their breast
milk were unable to breast feed their babies for as long as
women who had little DDE in the breast milk. Another study in
humans showed that women who had high amounts of DDE in breast
milk had an increased chance of having premature babies. In
animals, short-term exposure to large amounts of DDT in food
affected the nervous system, while long-term exposure to smaller
amounts affected the liver. Also in animals, short-term oral
exposure to small amounts of DDT or its breakdown products may
also have harmful effects on reproduction. Studies in DDT-
exposed workers did not show increases in cancer. Studies in
animals given DDT with the food have shown