Rachel Carson and Silent Spring

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Rachel Carson and Silent Spring

• If I had influence with the good fairy who is
  supposed to preside over the christening of all
  children, I should ask that her gift to each
  child in the world be a sense of wonder so
  indestructible that it would last throughout
  life.

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• Only within the moment of time represented by
  the present century has one species man
  acquired significant power to alter the nature of
  his world.
• Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth
  find reserves of strength that will endure as
  long as life lasts.
• Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among
  the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never
  alone or weary of life.

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Rachel Carson Biography

• Born, May 27, 1907, Springdale PA
• Educated at Pennsylvania Womens College,
  Pittsburgh and Johns Hopkins University
• Employment at marine Biological Laboratory, Woods
  hole, MA
• Bureau of Fisheries

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• Carson first focused on DDT in 1957. A friend,
  living in Duxbury,MA, had complained about a
  dramatic drop in bird population perhaps due to
  repeated aerial sprayings.

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DDT

• Discovered in 1874 by Zeidler
• Rediscovered in 1939 by Dr. Paul Müller Nobel
  Prize in 1948
• DDT killed flies, aphids, mosquitoes, Colorado
  potato beetles
• Used during WWII to de-louse refugees in Italy
• U.S. Army issued 10 DDT in tins to soldiers

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1955 Global Malarial Eradication Campaign

• Advocated the widespread use of DDT and
  anti-malarial drugs to eliminate the parasite in
  humans
• By 1967 malaria was eradicated from all developed
  countries

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• Peak use of DDT was in 1962 when 80 million
  kilograms were used

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Significance of Silent Spring

• A Modern Classic Simple yet Powerful
  Reflective of the Idea that Disciplinary
  Boundaries Rarely Exist in the Real World.
• The Importance of the Individual in History.
• Timing Must Be Right! Context is Crucial To
  Understanding this Book.
• However Why Are Environmental Issues Given High
  Priority in Rhetoric and much Lower Reality in
  Real Life?

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Carsons Key Points

• DDT is Persistent - - Very Stable, Remains in the
  Environment for a Long Time
• DDT Enters the Food Chain and Accumulates
• Insect Species Develop Genetic Resistance to DDT
• Organic materials from the Environment can Cause
  Cancer
• Biological Rather than Chemical Methods should be
  Employed When Feasible

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Heptaclor
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Lindane
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Silent Spring Becomes A Noisy Summer

• Opposition From Chemical Firms Monsanto and
  Velsicol Agricultural Chemical manufacturers
  Association
• Review by William Darby in Chemical and
  Engineering News, Silence, Miss Carson
• Opposition from Entomologists at Land Grant
  Universities
• Opposition from those who saw the book as a
  powerful force in undermining the idea that
  science and technology mean progress

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Carson on CBS Reports, April, 1963

• It is the public that is being asked to assume
  risks that the insect controllers calculate. The
  public mist decide whether it wishes to continue
  the present road, and it can only do so when in
  full possession of the facts.

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Victor Yannacone and DDT Fish Kill at Yaphank
Pond

• The Rise of Toxic Tort law 1967 Suit against
  Suffolk County Mosquito Control Commission
• Charles Wurster, Art Cooley, and thin osprey egg
  shells on Long Island
• A joining together to form the Environmental
  Defense Fund (EDF), 1967
• DDT Banned in U.S. in 1971

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Context 1959 Aminotriazole Cranberry Scare
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Context Thalidomide
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Frances Kelsey at the FDA
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Kelsey 1962 Presidents Distinguished Civilian
Service Award
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Context Atomic Testing
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