Modern readers might find themselves surprised by the timeless message of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. Though published in 1962, Rachel Carson’s analysis of the long-term damage caused by synthetic pesticide remains one of the most widely recognized works of environmental science. Carson strongly believed that our continued dependence on chemical pesticides would ultimately lead to the permanent deterioration of our planet. “ The chemical war is never won”, she wrote “and all life is caught in its crossfire”. Her work would later to be reviewed and critiqued by both the academic and scientific community. Evidence, which further support her claims, would surface decades later, when CNN uncovered the shocking story of U.S marines who’ve been poisoned during their service by chemicals commonly used in pesticide. Could this be this be the very thing that Carson had tried to warn us against?
It is irrefutable the devastating damage, which chemicals such as DDT, inflicts on our environment. Not only do these man-made toxins cause death and deterioration to everything in its grasp. As a by-product, the run-off of these sprayings penetrates our soil where it then enters our drinking water. As a result, when mixed with other contaminates chemicals such as DDT can often go undetected by methods of purification screening. In addition, massive spraying can often trigger a domino affect to the mortality of wild and aquatic life of the treated area to near extinction. A clear example of this would be the near wipeout of the salmon population in the Miramichi River during 1953. After repeated treatments of DDT were applied to combat the budworm, a third of the salmon population had been lost. In fact, in some areas of nearby rivers, 100% of salmon were killed. (130-137)
What happens when we bring these unknown dangers into our home? A family in Venezuela would learn the unfortunate consequences of this when it was too late. After returning to their home...