DDT is a strong synthetic insecticide that was used with great success throughout the first half of the 1900's to prevent malaria and typhus and later used agriculturally. In 1962, biologist Rachel Carson wrote the book Silent Spring to address the precieved health concerns and environmental impacts of DDT and related chemicals. She questioned the logic of releasing such large amounts of chemicals into the environment stating that no one fully understood the human health and environmental consequences that could result. Following the books release, a large population of people were against the use of DDT and a major focus was directed to the use of DDT. This ultimately led to the 1972 ban of DDT use for agricultural use worldwide. However, this ban has proven disadvantages to other countries where malaria and other insect driven diseases are still a major problem. For example, with Rachel Carson's strong influence on the cessation of DDT use, millions of Africans are still dealing with the overwelming rates of Malaria illness and related dealth. One could say that Rachel Carson's book, Silent Spring, has influenced the dealth of millions because of the global decisions that have been made about the use of DDT.
No comments:
Post a Comment