Is Rachel Carson Guilty of Genocide?

Question

Rachel Carson is the author of the book "Silent Spring" that chronicled the theorized damage (later found to be false) that DDT was doing to wildlife. Due to this book DDT was banned by the United States and the UN.

However, DDT, until it was banned, was being utilized very effectively to combat mosquitoes in third world countries (mosquitoes are the primary carriers of malaria). Of course, once it was banned, it's use stopped.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently stated that since the banning of DDT, approximately 50 million people have died from malaria that need not have died.

Does this put Rachel Carson in the same category as Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Mao Tse Tung, and Pol Pot?

Answer 1

Ahh someone else who's actually aware of the carnage she's helped cause. Your correct that recent studies have shown that DDT was not the culprit in the thinning of birds egg shells.

"Does this put Rachel Carson in the same category as Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Mao Tse Tung, and Pol Pot?"

To me yes but she gets a free pass from the bunny huggers because her heart was in the right place.

Answer 2

This was just on the radio, right?  Same question from two days ago.

This is why it was banned:

"Because of its chemical nature, once DDT is applied in a field or other environment, it remains in an active form for decades. People throughout the United States still carry DDT and its metabolites in their bodies, 30 years after the pesticide was banned in this country."

Heres what we can do about malaria:

"Environmental Defense was founded in 1967 by scientists who were concerned about DDT's role in driving many bird species to the brink of extinction in the U.S. Today, Environmental Defense recognizes the tremendous public health burden of malaria in developing countries. Environmental Defense supports the practical approach taken in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPS), which was agreed to by international negotiators in 2001 and which the U.S. has signed but not ratified.

This treaty allows indoor use of DDT to control disease-spreading insects when "locally safe, effective and affordable alternatives are not available."  The POPS treaty aims to encourage the development of less persistent and toxic alternatives, in order to allow the eventual elimination of DDT. The treaty also provides a system to track DDT usage so that it is not used in widespread, outdoor applications that would harm wildlife and human health."

So, the US hasn't ratified it.  Who's had control of congress since 1994?  So that makes this problem who's fault?

The whole DDT thing is a deliberate made up distortion and lie. It's disgusting and despicable and shows how low the reactionary right wing movement will go to further their ends.  

Rachel Carson did not call for a ban on DDT. She opposed the indiscriminate carpet bombing of the continent with toxic chemicals. Which is what we would have if she hadn't begun the process to reign in industry.  

Rational environmentalists agree with indoor spraying of surfaces with DDT for mosquito control, which has been proven to be THE effective technique, rather than the totally wasteful, ineffective and counterproductive aerial spraying.

Not that it really matters, but I have red tailed hawks on my property for the first time in my lifetime,

and I still have DDT (along with a great many other synthetic chemicals) in my body, as does every other top of food chain animal in the world,

and so do you.

Answer 3

<<the theorized damage (later found to be false) that DDT was doing to wildlife>>

excuse me, it was true.  DDT nearly wiped out the Peregrine falcon.  and it's excessive use helped to create bugs that were more resistant to ddt than had been the case before.

<<Does this (requestion that ddt be banned) put Rachel Carson in the same category as Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Mao Tse Tung, and Pol Pot?>>

i don't think so.

but i do find it interesting that you might think that it would.

Answer 4

The myth of DDT reducing bird populations has been thoroughly debunked.  The claims of thinning eggshells turned out to be false, and bird populations were increasing while DDT was in widespread use.

As for Carson, her campaign has so far killed 96 million Africans so I'd say she's an accessory to genocide.  Many anti-DDT activists even stated that malaria in developing countries is an acceptable means of population control.

Answer 5

Dr. Blob pretty much makes confetti of your post, but I want to add one point.  Because of the very long half-life of DDT it accumulates in the food chain, and concentrates more as you move up the food chain.  It was not hard to demonstrate accumulation to harmful levels in fish, birds, animals and humans in the areas where it was heavily used.