I grew up in “mosquito country”, Beaumont TX. There was often a huge mosquito problem there so they sent trucks around spraying this bad smelling dark gray stuff. I don’t know what it was—I’m not sure DDT was used in the 40’s and 50’s.
A lot of the kids I knew followed behind the trucks on their bikes breathing in the insecticide.
I never heard of anyone dying or getting sick from this activity—but maybe they died younger than they would have otherwise.
At least, that's what THEY say (but we all know what THEY say)...
In the early 1960’s in St. Mary’s County, MD, our area was sprayed in the summer by a truck driving by, once or twice a week. We would run and close windows, and hoped there was no wash drying on the line (before our dryer - ). If we could hear the truck coming, we had moments to prepare.
We SEEM to be okay, here in CA, but we do have a now adult daughter with some mild problems and wonder if that insecticide contributed anything - - - I mean by way of her mother having possibly been exposed here and there to that insecticide a few years before.