DHAKA - (Xinhua) - Bangladesh has been declared free of the dangerous pesticide Dichlorodiphenyl Trichloroethane, commonly known as DDT.

Bangladesh's Minister of Environment, Forestry and Climate Change, Muhammad Shahabuddin, announced this at a press conference on Sunday.

The press conference came after Bangladesh removed 500 tons of DDT from a medical sub-depot in Chattogram, about 242 km southeast of the capital, Dhaka, in December last year.
According to the organization

According to the World Health Organization, DDT is a persistent organic pollutant, a chemical that can have significant negative effects on both human health and the environment.

Bangladesh imported 500 metric tons (500,000 kg) of the pesticide in 1985 to control malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Upon arrival, she was placed in a government compound in the Agrabad district of Chattogram.

Over the years, many boxes and bags have fallen apart, leaving exposed piles of white DDT.

In 1991, Bangladesh imposed a ban on DDT, but the huge shipment remained.

Under a project titled "Reducing the Risks of Pesticides in Bangladesh", the toxic substance was completely exported to France for incineration, according to the ministry.