OCEAN 320 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Rachel Carson
Unit 1C: Chemical Pollution in Oceans
Pesticides-DDT
• Pesticides were considered harmless (and even healthy) until 24 years after their creation
• DDT is absorbed through insects’ feet, spreads through insects’ nervous system and shuts
them down, insect is paralyzed and killed
o Came in both powder and liquid forms
o Attracted insects, drew them to their deaths
• DDT was sprayed on entire cities in massive quantities; meant to “protect” people from
polio-infected insects; sprayed in parks and streams
o Idealized as a life-saver
• Increased dramatically in usage on farms, eventually became used often in suburbs
o Was government-supported
o Used both indoors and outdoors
• Sprayed in bird sanctuary, and birds became obviously poisoned by it the same way
insects were
• Rachel Carson, “Silent Spring” exposes DDT as dangerous and fatal chemical
o Created the argument that poison for small organisms will build up to affect larger
organisms
o Faced harsh opposition from both scientists and government, though questions
came up throughout press/public and scientists did not have answers
o “to these people, it seems the balance of nature was repealed as soon as man
came”
o Started the revolution against chemical pesticides; called for regulation and
research on the harmful effects of pesticides, which ultimately led to its demise in
legislation
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