WoW Blog

Saw Rachel Carson profiled on Bill Moyer's PBS program during the past couple of years, after having heard about her book, and realized her importance as the mother of the American green movement. Definitely a hero of mine, and her book is on my reading list for the coming year. Thanks for writing about this woman. -april05

I completely agree with Morgan23. The whole DDT issue was and still is a scam of epic proportions. Eggshell thinning and the impact of the use of DDT on raptor species has never been proven as being attributed to the use of this chemical. It's all 'smoke and mirrors' folks. If you can get your hands on an article by Frank L. Beebe entitled, "A Study in the Techniques of the Manipulation of Public and Official Attitudes", you will be further equipped to refute the vain reasoning and downright false information disseminated by intellectual terrorists.

A.T.

BSc

The full title of the article by Frank L. Beebe is, "The Myth of the Vanishing Peregrine - A study in the Techniques of the Manipulation of Public and Official Attitudes".

A.T.

It is a common misconception that Rachel Carson called for the banning of DDT. Quite to the contrary she advocated the responsible use of pesticides with an awareness of their impact. If you've read the book then you will know that she ends her chapter on DDT not by advocating a total ban of the pesticide but by urging to spray only what is needed to prevent the target pests from developing a resistance.

Julie

Sorry, but can't have it both ways.

Her book became the flag round which all rallied without a careful reading.The eggs are thinning hysteria was unanimous. It became required reading in the do gooder salons of environmental worship.

It is not us that didn't read it carefully, the greens turned it into an all chemical pesticides are evil orthodoxy. Professors used it as a bully pulpit to call for ending all chemicals.

If a misconception exists, it is held by the Green advocates and their policy implementers who have made the leap to all chemicals are bad and especially DDT.

Agreed that indiscriminate spraying could be bad, but failure to spray responsibly today to save HUMAN lives is unconscionable.

Hi Morgan23 - I would tend to think agricultural subsidies in the US and Europe have had more to do with the tough situation subsistence farmers (often starving) have in poor parts of Africa (including Ethiopia right now), than a ban on DDT has had over the years.

But it's good to know folks like yourself care about those folks in Africa and their plight. Not sure if you're a fan of his, but I give the current US president much credit for helping to save many thousands (millions?) of lives across Africa during his term (drugs to treat HIV, etc.) - maybe his biggest accomplishment. -april05

My father was a disease control specialist with the US Army and SEATO Labs back in the 1960s. He still gets riled up about the junk science that lead up to the banning of DDT use, and how it is now a political third rail that politicians are afraid to touch. No one wants to be labeled against the environment. Hard core environmentalism has become like a religion, and dissenters are given the "scorched earth" treatment to discourage other potential dissenters (see "man made global warming").

On the fun side, a lot of this reminds me of an old episode of The Simpsons where the town is swept by a wave of emotion into buying a Monorail - no logic put forth by Marge can stop the tidal wave of emotion and enthusiasm.

WOW! Look at all the semi-educated nay-sayers that popped up all of a sudden! Ms Carson never advocated banning DDT or any other pesticide, merely (as pointed out earlier) rational, responsible use, rather than indiscrimnate spraying when/where not needed. As MUCH other research has subsequently shown, this leads directly to the development of resistance, and thus the inability to control the disease vectors of concern. Please DO disagree with what you will, but PLEASE do educate your opinion first!

I believe my opinion is quite educated. Much research that my father studied indicated that the primary cause of bird eggshells breaking was not caused by DDT, but rather the nests constantly being disturbed by researchers to the point of weakening the eggs.

As a person with a Ph.D. in engineering and two decades of experience in industry and government I resent that you call me a "semi-educated nay-sayers" just because you don't agree with me. It tells us all a lot more about you and your attitudes toward creative problem solving than it does about me or others.

BTW I was not stating that Rachel Carson was advocating a ban on DDT, but the fact that her highly emotional book implied an unproven link of DDT to the problem. One could infer that she new scientific investigation could not acheive her agenda, so she used the emotional arguement instead. That is not a safe path for human progress in most peoples opinions.

Please don't take my comment personally - I obviously have no knowledge of your background. I merely object to what seems to be a blanket condemnation of a worthy scientist's research findings. Plus, being an environmental biologist/chemist, I DO have some insight to go along with my bias...

Sounds fair to me. I think a lot of us are on edge right now with all of the turmoil going on in the world. My dad consoles himself with a list of end of the world problems of the last fifty years, none of which came to pass.