Ms. Carson sparked an exchange of ideas about the dangerous consequences of unregulated chemical usage.
National Impact
Two months before his death, President Kennedy begins a national tour to bring about environmental awareness.
"We in the 1960s can do our task of preparing America for all the generations which are still yet to come. . . we are reaching the limits of our fundamental needs of water to drink, of fresh air to breathe, of open space to enjoy, of abundant sources of energy to make life easier." -Kennedy's speech at the Pinchot Institute dedication. Milford PA, September 1963. |
Long-Term Consequences
"Without this book, the environmental movement might have been long-delayed or never have developed at all."
-Former Vice President Al Gore, 1994 reprint of Silent Spring
-Former Vice President Al Gore, 1994 reprint of Silent Spring
Even though DDT was banned in 1973, it is still affecting people today.
"Substantial concentrations of DDT and DDE are still found in the body fat of humans and animals...even in areas where it has not been used for a long time. Many U.S. women heavily exposed to DDT in childhood have not yet reached age 50."
-Breast Cancer Fund, 2007
-Breast Cancer Fund, 2007
- "Food supplies: USDA found DDT breakdown products in 60% of heavy cream samples, 42% of kale greens, 28% of carrots and lower percentages of many other foods.
- Body burden: DDT breakdown products were found in the blood of 99% of the people tested by CDC.
- Health impacts: Girls exposed to DDT before puberty are 5 times more likely to develop breast cancer in middle age, according to the President’s Cancer Panel."
Although the banning of DDT led to the bald eagle species making a comeback, it also sparked harsh criticism from opposing forces who were advocates for the use of DDT in preventing malaria.
"Forty years ago, our national symbol was in danger of extinction...largely as a consequence of DDT...the federal government's banning of DDT...have helped bald eagles make a remarkable recovery."
-U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2007 "...Millions of people in the developing world, particularly children under five, died because governments bought into Carson's junk science claims about DDT."
-Spokesperson for former Senator Tom Coburn |
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), founded in 1970, was a direct result of the publication of Silent Spring. The EPA plays a major role in today's protection of the environment.
"There is no question, that Silent Spring prompted the Federal Government to take action against water and air pollution -- as well as against the misuse of pesticides -- several years before it otherwise might have moved."
-Environmental Protection Agency
"There is no question, that Silent Spring prompted the Federal Government to take action against water and air pollution -- as well as against the misuse of pesticides -- several years before it otherwise might have moved."
-Environmental Protection Agency
Silent Spring invoked caution for future science and technological advances.
"After Silent Spring, people began to think about the chemicals they were handling, what they were doing to the environment, and what scientists weren't telling them."
-Linda Lear, Rachel Carson: Witness for Nature
-Linda Lear, Rachel Carson: Witness for Nature