Rachel Carson Silent Spring Summary

In Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, published 1962, the author brings forth the idea that we are poisoning ourselves and the environment through the common misuse of chemical pesticides during that time (Introduction). She believes that citizens must have the right to “be secure in his own home against the intrusion of poisons applied by other persons” (p xv under Introduction). In the face of obvious toxic effects of DDT and other chemicals, she reports that at the time, new chemicals were being introduced at the rate of 500 per year. (p 7). Thus, Carson coins the term “biocides” due to pesticides and insecticides’ effects to the environment and the circle of life (p 8). The use of these chemicals on insects has been repeatedly explained for various reasons, although not justified in Carson’s eyes. For example, disease-carrying insects can be dangerous in areas where there are high concentrations of humans (p 9) and eradicating the insects can be life-saving. Mosquitoes can transmit malaria and DDT is helpful in eradicating them. These chemicals and others, such as organic phosphorus insecticides, are effective at destroying enzymes that perform necessary functions in the body (regardless of whether the intended target is insect or warm-blooded animal) (p 28). However, when …show more content…
What exists is an assumption that the soil is defenseless and thus will absorb all the poisons thrown into it (p 57). In reality, lindane, heptachlor, and BHD (benzene hexachloride) have been shown to decrease nitrification in soil (p 57) while up to 15 pounds of DDT per acre have been found in potato fields and up to 19 in corn fields (p 58). DDT and other chemicals have been liberally applied without regard or realization that the chemicals can and will build up in the