RACHEL CARSON AND DDT BAN

[tharodsta]

this is bullshit propaganda...the ban on ddt was for agricultural use only and was never banned in the fight against malaria...they use ddt in south africa to combat malaria and in 24 other countries 2day...the ban specifically says u can use ddt in the case of malaria...bitch

[WhiteGangster400]

Rachel Carson killed millions of people from writing that book.

[kshart32]

What a yahoo Hannity is: "Silent Spring" a book of "fiction"? Oh come on-- even if some data need to be updated decades after publication, it's hardly a book of "fiction." And "saved a few birds? Clearly Hannity doesn't understand not only the borderline extinction of certain species, but the interconnectedness of the biosphere. DDT doesn't target just the "bad" insects. It kills them all, and that means bees that pollinate crops, all the birds that eat the insects, on up the food chain.

[wwendt9]

You are probably right. I read the actual book when it first came out and was highly impressed at the time. I did know that after it was published that the politicians then banned DDT from all uses, and I am sure that this was an over-reaction. We do know that some of her conclusions were correct. I remember the egg shells that were very fragile and would easily break. Thanks for your comment. wmwendt

[WheresPoochie]

For the record, Rachel Carson never supported an outright ban of DDT. She only urged for people to take notice of the careless use of such pesticides and the needless negative effects that they were having on nature. The bans on DDT were made without her consent and after her death.

And perhaps she was being hyperbolic and presumptuous in her book but Google is showing me a few scholarly articles that link DDT to breast cancer.

[CWSmith03111982]

Rachel Carson. Saving the earth through human extermination. Killed more people than any other leftist in history. Lennin, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Hitler, Castro, Che, and every other socialist/communist/progressiv­e combined couldent hold a candle to the amount of death atributed to her socialst name! Over 50-100 million dead and growing by 2,000,000 a year. Her legacy lives on! Today DDT has been labled HARMLESS but the eco nazis throw a legal fit every time we prove their dear founder a fraud.

[boonw]

I would like to say, as someone who is currently studying the enviornment, DDT is one of the best and useful chemicals we have ever devised. It is extremely safe for humans, and NOT carcinogenic.

The problem wasnt that we were using DDT, it was HOW we were using it. Its (mostly) fine if you spray it on crops and to control malaria. It is not ok if you declare war on all nuisance bugs and have hundreds of trucks and aircraft spraying endlessly and aimlessly 24/7.

Yes, that happened.

[evanallison1]

You know what we will get if we use DDT to kill Mosquitos? We will get DDT resistant misquitos

[Soldier957]

FOX- Your one-stop shop for lies!

Just read the wiki article on DDT for bucketloads of references to DDTs human and environmental health effects. Looking forward to see the film "3 billion and counting" though. I like to hear both sides.

[breann092589]

i fucking hate ignorant, stupid people as well as FOX.

what ever happened to good old survival of the fittest? it needs to apply to humans.

[GorterPoss]

@breann092589 I am not a fan of Fox. Despite the juvenile rhetoric of this piece though, Hannity is spot on. The evidence that Carson put forth in the 1960's would never stand up in today's scientific journals and many of her claims were very speculative. We need better standards for incorporating science into public policy.

[Lalla770]

This is a great piece. Well done FOX TV! Finally great quality investigative journalism. More information in detail on the subject in the new investigative documentary "3 Billion And Counting",at youtube(dot)com/3billionandcou­nting.

The documentary has nothing to do with this material. It is great to see independent sources look at the same situation in a professional manner. Truth is One. It is time to give up myths based on pseudoscience and emotionalism. Time to bring back DDT&stop malaria.

[wwendt9]

But no one, certainly not the media nor our Congress are doing anything about this at all.  At least the record should be reviewed in the light of current science. After all, this was enacted almost 50 years ago and yet millions are dying of malaria in Africa. We know better now than to use DDT indiscriminately as we originally did, but are we not capable today of using it for the purpose of eliminating malaria? W Wendt

[bcbobbie]

Under Nixon's watch . . .

Eugenics is not partisan.

[pinewood189]

rachel is responsible for more deaths then Hitler, Poe Pot, Stallion, ect...

[theteef]

let's spray DDT inside the FOX studio. Anyone?

[Stroheim333]

@theteef Yes, do it. It is no problem at all.

[levar1979]

@theteef ...and MSNBC, CNN, PBS, etc.

[StudentOfObjectivism]

@theteef I'm sure that when bugs are encountered in the Fox studio, a spray is used to kill them. Your suggestion, far from being clever and incisive, is completely redundant and stupid.

[OneLightHouse1]

Check out the new documentary, 3 Billion and Counting, opens today at the Quad Cinema, New York. It proves DDT is safe!

[stlgtrace]

Fox can rant and bitch all they want. Yes, some of Rachel's claims remain controversial but he greater benefit of her life and work was making humankind aware that the earth is neither an infinite, inexhaustable toilet that will continually absorb man's garbage nor something God supposedly gave man to do with what he bloody well will! Bravo Rachel, Rest in Peace Good Sister!!!

[Thill029]

@stlgtrace

The envirofascists are more concerned about saving some birds than millions of human lives.

And the cancer risks that she talks about are actually minimal. Not nearly enough to justify a ban.

I suppose you are just another envirofascist trying to force others, through government, to live up to your vision of what the planet should look like, regardless of how many people's rights you violate along the way.

[stlgtrace]

@Thill029 Well, when this fragile planet that we all call home is finally plundered, stripped and gutted of any life giving resource by man's selfishness, greed and irresponsibility then we'll see who's right won't we? Call me what you like but I really care about the world that I live in and I realize that man is not the only living creature on this planet and Earth was not designed solely so that humankind can exploit and destroy everything on it!!! You need to stop being so selfish!!!

[Thill029]

@stlgtrace

whatever, psycho.

[Thill029]

Easiest way to end malaria in africa: lift DDT bans. Some birds might get sick but it will save millions of human lives... of course environmentalists obsessed with animals and human "overpopulation" have no problem seeing humans die.

The benefits of DDT outweigh the negatives by such a huge amount, that you must be downright stupid, or just evil to support ddt bans.

[BlueHerself]

Great, what a bitch. UGHHHHH

[WonderStoned]

It wasn’t “her” science. It was the science of many people conducted over decades, many scientists and many studies. All peer-reviewed studies. They did not all have bogus science and they did not all fake their results and the many scientists who have followed in their footsteps knew damn well what they were doing and they didn’t fake their results either.

The links between DDT and cancer are known and incontrovertible. It is FACT. As much as the sky is blue.

FOX NEWS IS FOR MORONS!

[Thill029]

@WonderStoned

That is complete nonsense. Who are these american environmentalists who have the power to deside for the africans whether they are worthy of being saved? The amount of people who would be saved by ddt enormously outweighs the people that could potentially be harmed.

Environmentalists are evil, evil people. And you are too.

[WonderStoned]

@Thill029

You are obviously a republican with that stupid moronic comeback. It is well documented that DDT is cancer causing. So well in fact that I am not even going to go into it because it is so obvious.

Rachel Carson did not say to ban DDT for use in Africa. She simply said we need to control these chemicals and not just let the government spray them wherever they want to without our knowledge.

This is a Fox news report and like most Fox news reports this too is a total blatant LIE.

[Thill029]

@WonderStoned

Anyone who questions liberal propaganda must be a republican right? You idiot. Envirofascists have NO RIGHT to prevent Africans from using ddt to fight malaria. The only reason YOU don't need to worry about malaria is because DDT was used to eradicate it from north america. And many substances can be linked to cancer. It's up to people out of their voluntary choice to weigh the consequences and make those decisions for themselves. Not some fascist "liberal" from across the ocean.

[WonderStoned]

@Thill029 And you have no right to voice your stupid ass opinions because you are obviously as dumb as a box of rocks.

that sign above your head is still blinking on and off.

I AM A MORON

I AM A MORON

I AM A MORON

It just never stops. It actually gets brighter every time you try to write something on this page..

I AM A MORON

I AM A MORON

I AM A MORON

Please turn it off along with your ignorant stupid ass Fox News driven opinions.

[Thill029]

@WonderStoned

And if you actually believe that fox news is worse than any other network news, you are just a blind, ignorant sheep.

[WonderStoned]

@Thill029 Oh My God. I guess you do live in a fantasy world so no truth will ever penetrate your sorry republican ass.

You look at the republicans and call the liberals fascist? That one also proves that you live in Never Never Land.

Let's see. The dems at least try to help the people while the republicans care only about lining their own pockets. I hope you don't bump into any walls walking around so blind moron.

I see the neon sign above your head blinking.

I AM A MORON

I AM A MORON

[Thill029]

@WonderStoned

I am not republican nor democrat. I am a man of reason.

You, on the other hand, are the prototyical blind, ignorant American voter. You see the world as a dichotomy of democrats and republicans and you cannot for the LIFE of you consider the issue of individual freedom as being even remotely important. You just parrot what you hear your liberal douche bag tv personalities say. And I can see you didn't even bother refuting what I said, because deep down you know its the truth.

[WonderStoned]

@Thill029 Good Grief. I am not a dem or republican. I hate both parties. But you talk out of your ass. Talk about ignorant and blind? You watch Fox news for god's sake. Need I say more?

That sign above your head is still flashing buddy.

I AM A MORON

I AM A MORON

I AM A MORON

The neon is as bright as ever.

[Thill029]

@WonderStoned

I don't watch fox news either, but if you actually think that fox is any more misinformed than any other network news, you're just as big of an idiot as any other dumbass who bitches about fox all day long.

And just because a story appears on fox does not mean it's untrue.

Notice you have been unable and unwilling to refute any of my points about DDT.

The I AM A MORON sign is above your head and everyone can see it. You are a sheep, and an imbicile.

Good day.

[WonderStoned]

@Thill029 Let's see. Fox donated 1 million dollars to the republicans. I wonder if they are slanted in their reports? GET A CLUE MAN. Fox is corrupt as news station. They have those idiots Glen Beck and Hannity on there. FOR GOD's SAKE MAN!

Good work on using my neon sign against me. OOOOOO. You showed me.

What points about DDT? It is cancer causing and should be used only under the strictest of conditions. PERIOD. If they want to use it if Africa to reduce the bugs then they should do it.

[Thill029]

@WonderStoned

"What points about DDT? It is cancer causing and should be used only under the strictest of conditions. PERIOD. If they want to use it if Africa to reduce the bugs then they should do it."

My entire point is that africans SHOULD be free to use ddt if they want. The companies that produce ddt SHOULD be allowed to trade with africans. What this fox devil news segment points out is that environmentalists are controling the trade and production of ddt using government force.

[WonderStoned]

@Thill029 According to you Fox news and CCN are on a par as far s who they support. When you get back from Never Neverland let me know.

[Thill029]

@WonderStoned

And I don't fucking care what news program I'm watching, because they ALL are driven by skewed politics with irrational philosophical premises. At least fox reports on shit like this which other news networks NEVER report on. CNN even had a whoel segment abou thte evils of ddt. So yes, CNN is no better than fox, and all network news shoudl be taken with a grain of salt.

[WonderStoned]

@Thill029 Fox news is slanted more than any other news station on the planet. Get your head out of your ass.

DDT is bad and really should not be used. There are other things that cost a little more to use in place of DDT for Africa. People just don't want to fork it over. Gt on that instead of using a proven cancer causing agent.

DDT is bad and that is that.

Oh yeah that's right....you watch Fox News. I guess DDT is alright.

That neon sign keeps on flashing every time you open your mouth.

[WonderStoned]

@Thill029 People should be trying to keep DDT off the market. There are alternatives. The information in this report says what republicans who can make money selling DDT want it to say. That is how Fox News works.

The fact that you say Fox News is the same as CNN or almost any other station shows that you are lost like a sad lonely child who just needs some guidance.

Do the names Glen Beck or Sean Hannity mean anything to you? Talk about sorry ass republican programing.

Wow.

Good luck.

[Thill029]

@WonderStoned

okay I can tell you're not a very intelligent person so I'll go through this step by step with you.

1) Name me ONE alternative to ddt which is capable of eradicating malaria and other mosquito-viruses

2) Philosophically, what gives these peopel the right to prevent africans from purchasing ddt voluntarely?

3) according to your logic, ddt is bad because the republicans say it is good. Explain this logic.

4) Yes, fox is no worse than cnn, you're an idiot for not realizing that.

[Thill029]

@Thill029

mosquito-carried viruses*

[WonderStoned]

@Thill029 And the reason CNN had the report about the evils of DDT is because DDT IS EVIL. That is how REAL news programming works. Fox News says what they say because someone somewhere,most likely a republican, has a profit to make. That is how the Right Wing Republican run Fox News works.

Get a clue.

DDT should never be used. There are alternatives that these people should just pay for and stop trying to bring a known cancer causing agent back into play.

YOUR SIGN IS GOING STRONG.

[Thill029]

@WonderStoned

...continued

5) stop evading my earlier point-- that the cancer risks associated with ddt PALE in comparison to the millions and millions of people who stand to die from malaria.

[Thill029]

@WonderStoned

also, you seem to think, like a typical empty-headed liberal, that the republicans are the only political party who stand to make a profit from any given media story.

Wake up. The democrats, and virtually every other relevant political party in the world is guilty of the same thing,

[WonderStoned]

@Thill029 Did Fox News tell you that?

The Republicans have put this country and this world through so many lies, so many wars and other money making schemes in recent years that the party itself should be abolished for going against the constitution.

Fox News will never say that. Other news stations do say it.

CNN even has a whole segment on WHO IS RESPONSIBLE for these things.

Why is it that 99% of those responsible are republicans?

[Thill029]

@WonderStoned

So am I to understand that you don't have a single argument to refute my points about DDT?

There are countless relevant news events that happen every day. Network news skims over a tiny fraction of the events based on what they believe will attract viewers with mainstream opinions. They are competing for viewers like any other tv program. I don't care if you watch FOX or CNN or MSNBC etc.. if you rely on ANY of them for your primary source of news you know NOTHING.

[WonderStoned]

@Thill029 I think I hear Fox News calling your ignorant ass.

[WonderStoned]

Leave it to Fox News to keep sticking their heads up their asses.

I think all Fox News employees should have DDT in their yards and on their clothes and in their food and see what happens in years to come.

What a bunch of Fox News BS.

[Acquaclara]

I can't believe this news bite. Ignorance is bliss!

DDT accumulates in the environment and its effect is multiplied across the food chain. It's not metabolized.

Malaria is not easy to control, least making it worse exposing the people to this agent.

Go on Google scholar and search for the scientific evidence produced in the last 40 years!

[jackson32]

Just because this is FOX news does not necessarily mean it is not true. FOX has had on plenty of pieces that were true, like Car Camerons famous expose of Israeli spying and involvement with 911. Always think, and evaluate everything on it's merits. Don't be a sheep. A little research shows that indeed DDT is quite safe. One study had people EATING IT and they followed the people for 10-20 years after and they had no ill health effects.

[phobbs14610]

In the war against nature Fox News is a shinning beacon. In the war against ignorance Fox News is a clear enemy.

[CorporateSwine]

why does Fox hate the environment? Gee, i wonder why

[vetps]

when was that broadcasted on TV??

Can anyone tell me please???!!!

[vetps]

when was this broadcasted on TV?

Can anyone tell me pleaseee!!????

[Earthlinked]

Carson's book (Silent Spring) and research would NEVER be published today - it would NEVER make it past ANY book companies legal department!!!!! NOT A CHANCE!!!!!!!

It was shotty - at best and non existant at worst!!!!!! And Carson admitted this before she died in 1964.

[AirFire1000]

I wish I could agree but look at what is being published. Al Gore, John Kerry, anything that predicts doom and gloom sells. Environmentalism is big business and a few facts aren't about to stand in their way.

[slimjim1389]

fox news....... wow

"if anything they saved a few birds"

the only shottie research and claims, are the ones in the video...  I would love to see them back those statements up and write a book on it. It would get torn apart...

[LeGioNoFZioN]

you couldn't be more wrong. science does not support environmentalist concerns over DDT. go to the NYTimes or do your own research. I admit coming from Fox you would be skeptical but do your own investigation, this topic Hannity, the NYT, and the greater global scientific commuinity are all in consensus over. DDT eradicated malaria in the US, but malaria still kills many in African countries daily. it kills more people than AIDS.

[slimjim1389]

ah see you assume I haven't done my research, But I have.

Maybe it is you who needs to go back and look a bit closer.

[LeGioNoFZioN]

you got me I haven't done research, but my cousin spenty a year in Tanzania a few years back and he educated me on the topic, and how he had befriended a local who got malaria and died. it was traumatizing for him, as a result, when he came back and shared the stories of how many actually die from malaria, I'm convinced only racists and anti-humanist radical environmentalists support this witch and her propaganda. Its counter-reason, counter science, only for the sheeple.

[slimjim1389]

ok..

let me ask you this, would you eat a piece of food, covered in DDT?

[LeGioNoFZioN]

if it meant that DDT could be more widely used, specifically in Africa then yes. DDT is potentially harmful, but in large doses, and there is no danger of carcinogens as was previously argued by Ms Carson. If eating DDT laced food would promote change that will help our brothers and sisters in Africa I would do it, and accept any health problems that come with it. The truth is more people die without DDT unnecessarily than with it. How many US deaths have been attributed to DDT ?

[rusty1491]

@slimjim1389 DDT is just a derivative of the poison Chlorine which is in many water supplies as is Fluoride another poison. I would be more apprehensive drinking fresh water directly from a lake than water with trace amounts of chemicals like DDT.

[slimjim1389]

Cool. I would rather not drink DDT or fluoride water.

[Lalla770]

@slimjim1389 YES, i drank DDT ( after all possible research on DDT was checked). IT is not the poison you are made to believe it. "The Excellent Powder" by Donald Roberts, Richard Tren. and also see youtube- 3 Billion And Counting. I have a medical degree. DDT is safe. Scientists admit they were mislead into believing it was toxic and no one checked Rachel Carson's claims at the time. There is not one replicated study to prove what she said. If you find one , pls let me know.

[WhiteGangster400]

@LeGioNoFZioN Wow, i guess fox news is not as bad as people say it is. My dad told me that fox news is not as bad as all the other news networks like CNN, and he says MSNBC is the worst of them all.

[NicMJK]

Ummm, Carson was a biologist, her research was sound. DDT would still be causing serious illness for people and wildlife. Malaria is awful, and unfortunate, but spraying DDT would have its own effects on people. Perhaps not immediately, but it would make already scarce food and water sources more rare. I understand the conflict over the use of DDT in stopping malaria, but in the UNited States, it was the rght thing to ban it. It is not worth getting rid of some pests to have people be ill

[IntelligentCreature]

wow!!!

that tells you a lot about the credibility of kerry and gore's books...and the "preface" of what the "truth"

they are spreading....

[gunshuboy]

DDT is effective on mosquitos but not to mention the negative effects on the fauna concerning the humans it acts as a nerv gas.DDT is highly bioaccumulative.accumul.for example in pregnant womans breast milk and this way gets to newborns causing irrevers.damage in its brain develop.,is regarded as carcinogenic,causes mental defects,strong endocrine disruptor, reproductive problems(negativ.influen.the develop.of reprod.organs of man and women, sperm quality),acute inhalat.causes bronchitidis...

[GenevaPilgrim]

guns: I am 36. My grandparents lived into their 80's & many of the people who experienced the spray, they breathed the DDT air, drank the water, breastfed their kids etc & yet, they are still alive and kicking. my grandfather died of natural causes, so did my grandmother. my mother is in her 50's & she's fine & she drank all that contaminated breast milk!

[Exhalent]

Basically, the whole reason DDT was banned because some left wing nuts decided to show off their power. There is no good reason to ban DDT.

[wwendt9]

That is my understanding as well and malaria is still one of the major killers in Africa.

[AKA0507]

It doesn't matter if what she wrote is true or not, she is a liberal so she must be a socialist left wing crazy person.

[wwendt9]

l wouldn't go quite that far as I read her book when it was published and thought that it was sncere and at the time, true.

[AKA0507]

Fox you bastards, ddt is a horrible chemical and if they would have taken the time to research further they would not be taking the chemical companies sides.

[Exhalent]

Ok, DDT is something you can eat and not have any effects... DDT is the safest thing you can have to kill mosquitoes and other insects. Stop listening to broken reports or whatever you learned that from (probably our broken education system).

[wwendt9]

Well I agree about our broken educational system. I know as I teach at both a 4-year college and a community college.

[wwendt9]

Why do you say that it is a horrible chemical. Do you have some specific evidence or is this just your opinion. Facts are the only thing that counts here. I believed it when I read this book as a kid, but now I have some grade doubts. Convince me please, if what you say is true. I just know that malaria is a major killer in Africa and this was an effecive deterant.

[AKA0507]

yes i know, was angry when i wrote that

[pumpkinscuckoo]

We can't really condem people of the past for their mistakes. It would be like making fun of ancent barbers for bleeding people. They did what they thought was best at the time. I'm sure in 2009 we are making mistakes that people will damn us for 50 or 60 years from today. God why don't we dig Rachel Carson up and put her bones on trial. LOL Get over if people, even if she did make a mistake whats the sence of crying like babies about it now? If DDT is now safe then use it and stop pissing

[pumpkinscuckoo]

I don't think Carsons argument that was that it hurts people so much as animals in which affects the food chain.

[pumpkinscuckoo]

At 2:18 they say that people are dying all the time from malyria and at 2:28 they say they spray DDT to control pests.... Sooooooooooooooooooo it seems that spraying DDT isn't working anyway.

[pumpkinscuckoo]

Soylent Spring is made out of people!

It's people!

[AgentBlueDuck]

Keep in mind this is from FOX- Conservative News Media.

I'm not weighing it one way or another, just keeping it in mind.

[wwendt1]

You are correct and we all know that Fox is conservative, but I also ask, is and was DDT as serious a threat to birds, etc, as claimed in this now quite old evidence. Is there anything new that you know of. William Wendt

[jackson32]

@AgentBlueDuck My reply to your statement is the counter - "Keep in mind Al Gore fully supported the book Silent Spring." When is the last time that Gore, a man whose family has long history residing in the belly of the beast known as the New World Order, has EVER backed something that was good or true? In any case your point is invalid, because the evidence shows that DDT is safe.

[Stroheim333]

@AgentBlueDuck I am sorry, but what Fox says here is totally true. Nowadays, WHO recommend DDT against malaria. But people generally still believe it gives cancer... This is probably one of the biggest scandals during the 20th century.

[frontdoor1208]

DDT does not kill humans - lie of the media!

"If its DDT, it must be awful. And thats fine if youre a rich white environmentalists. Its not so fine if youre a poor black kid who is about lose his life to malaria" (Uganda Health Minister)

[seethegirl52695]

uhhhh...if it can kill pests, why couldnt it kill humans? ddt does hurt the enviroment.

[frontdoor1208]

ignorance kills.

[ecofashionista]

Wow! I can only imagine that the makers of chemicals including DDT paid the NY TIMES & FOX just the right price to play this junk & do bias research - corperations are stooping lower and lower these days.

Fox News should be ashamed of this report, his language is emotional, brainwashing, and using fear to convince people to believe his media story. Absolutely sad. People don't watch the news to get educated, educate yourselves with real life experiences & knowlegde.

[1CountryIndivisible]

Fact: In the last decade, bald eagles have seen a ten fold increase in there population. They have been taken off of the endangered species list.

Fact: Rachel Carson was given the presidential metal of freedom. The highest award given to a citizen of our county. This makes her an American hero.

Fact: FOX is a disgrace and Rupert Murdock should be run out of this country on a rail.

[frontdoor1208]

Presidential Medal of Freedom DOES NOT make her an American hero - period.

[kampuchezqueen]

It is scary what old wrong ideas you conservatives are pushing. Do you honestly want us to go back to the 50s where the government sprayed DDT at children playing. And spray it over streams, where trout and salmon will die. And DDT IS proven to cause blindness in birds. There are so many other pesticides to use that does not hurt the environment.

[goingemoguy]

Has loud mouth Sean even read Carson's book? If DDT would be still used today, even more people would be dying of Malaria. According to Darwin's prinicple of evolution, insects would eventually evolve & adapt becoming immune & resistant to DDT creating an even more deadlier species after that & then a deadlier one after that & so on. Thus the chemical war can never be won due to animal adaptation, and all life is caught in this violent crossfire.

[wwendt1]

Yes, I read her book and have it. I read it when it was published and believed much of what was said. Time, however, has a way of providing a new look at outcomes. Just as with ethanol production, which we now know is not very efficient, costly, increasing food costs, and having a negative impact on the rain forest. So I beleive that we often overreact. wmw

[WonderStoned]

@wwendt1 Other than the FACT KNOWN THE WORLD OVER AS NOTHING BUT ABSOLUTELY TRUE that DDT is cancer causing what about DDT are you disputing?

[EasyEs]

There are biological limits to adaptation over the time frame you are thinking. A mosquito is hugely more complex than a bacteria cell which multiplies billions and Trillions of generations more than a mosquito to adapt to some treatment. So you are right...but at the same time wrong because we need to wipe it out until public health developes in Africa.

[beerschoten]

Eureka you seem to have found the awnser, all the money that goes to finding a chemical cure to fight malaria seems to be a great waste, because of overlooking simple principle of natural selection. Why didn't e.g. the WHO think of that. It's btw curious that the malaria insects that where fought by the help of ddt - in the developed countries - wheren't able to adapt at a rate to be resistant to ddt.

[vetps]

when was this broadcasted on TV??

Can anyone tell me please???!!!

[boonw]

@goingemoguy

"If DDT would be still used today, even more people would be dying of Malaria"

This is nonsense. Before DDT, malaria was a major cause of death in both the United States and Europe. Now its nearly unheard of.

"According to Darwin's prinicple of evolution, insects would eventually evolve & adapt becoming immune resistant to DDT creating an even more deadlier species after that & then a deadlier one after that&so on"

Malaria is not an insect, this is the most basic info (cont)

[boonw]

@goingemoguy

(cont on evolution claim)

This is the problem with you, you say things without understanding them. First off, evolution works ONLY when there is a genetic trait. DDT works by disrupting the nervous system, and as such, it would make evolving a restistance to it nearly impossible, as it is to complex and essential for mutations to be beneficial.

Some chemicals such as bleach, are just too difficult to make a resistance to it, which is why they are still effective after decades

[boonw]

@goingemoguy

(cont on evolution claim)

Finally, I am going to ignore the fact you cant tell the difference between malaria and a mosquitto. Explain to me, how mosquittos developing a resitance to DDT would make malaria more deadly.

Mosquittos do not kill people, they are mere carriers for disease. If they developed a resistance to DDT, all that we would need to do is use a different insecticide.

[DRgrn420]

@boonw yepp thats definetly the answer... Once we make one species immune to an insecticide as powerful and harmful as DDT, lets just use another thats even more powerful. Cause eutrophication in our watersheds is'nt an issue at all.. You realize all the insecticide we spray, we consume. Biomagnification makes this issue exponentially worse.

[boonw]

@DRgrn420

"Cause eutrophication in our watersheds is'nt an issue at all"

You do realize you are addressing a post out of context. This guy was claiming that mosquito resistance to DDT somehow made malaria more deadly. I was pointing out that it was just a carrier.

BTW: the reason its called an insecticide is because its kills insects, but leaves most other organisms harmed. When it damages a watershed, its because it kills the bugs, not the larger organisms.

[oneofthe4truegods]

Anyone who believes this drivel please raise your hand and say, "I am stupid."

1. There has never been a "worldwide ban" on DDT.

2. There are numerous other pesticides that are just as effective as DDT without the harmful environmental effects.

3. Malaria is a treatable disease. Millions are dying from it in the third world because they cannot afford and thus are denied access to other pesticides and treatment for malaria.

Sean Hannity should be in prison.

[kampuchezqueen]

I agree!

[MrsPloppysDonuts]

agreed!

[mistInTheGarden]

Here's FOX at it's best: no references to scientific studies or giving word to scientists. And all this after DDT was proved to be dangerous to human health and banned in US.

Shame on FOX!

[mattm1836]

Shawn Hannity is anti science as it gets, and anti-environment.

[johanchurchill]

um, actually Carson did LOT"S of research. way to go FOX "news", nice try. They are attempting to taint her book with bad spin and sel it as a mistake to a younger generation who never read the book. Unbelievable that FOX would try and make such a retarded argument. Just floors me with laughter and and worry. It's really pathetic. DDT was only used because chemical weapons producers had SHIT loads of it laying around after WWII. Safer alternatives are available.

[bigbob512]

DDT was not used as a chemical weapon during WWII. A powdered form of 10% DDT was given to troops for use against head lice and other pests. All the research she did would have to be considered junk science because she ignored lab tests that showed no correlation between DDT and ill health effects against birds and humans.

[mattm1836]

Carson was a true American hero who savedour antional symbol and made the world aware of what a horrid substance DDT is.

[beatleapostle]

If DDT was "killing a few birds" it shouldn't be approved. What else could get approved if it was killing birds?

[shenodirikos]

the fact is that DDT kills malaria-spreading mosquitoes. Malaria causes millions of deaths. And you're defending "a few birds"?

[naya4444]

humzep is a retarted name

[lennonrevolver]

Cool, I'm glad that you can hide behind your computer screen and make fun of made up names!! Nice!! It's not like your horse name is much better!! Oh and tell me how my screen name is in anyway limited to intellectual, emotional or acedemic progress???

[humzep]

"When you trust your television, what you get is what you got, and when the only information oh they can bend it all they want" John Mayer= tv-fox news, only info-gov can mislead you!!

[wwendt1]

No, I don't trust my TV any more than do you. I just thought that it was an interesting viewpoint and that it shows that we must be very sure of what we recommend before we have such a profound impact on world actions. wmw

[humzep]

So I would've have posted all of these comments together but it was too long!

[humzep]

Are they starving? If there is gonna be attacks on Silent Spring for simply trying to prevent hazards to our health, maybe we should take a look at the government and corporations and how they are not helping out starving children in Africa and around the world!!

[humzep]

She was just looking at the abuse of pesticides and the over usage of them. She didn't ban the use of DDT, the government officials and other scientist did. So before we blame Carson for the millions of deaths caused by Malaria, maybe we should look at the people that are dying from Malaria and what their lifestyles are like.

[humzep]

She was just looking at the abuse of pesticides and the over usage of them. She didn't ban the use of DDT, the government officials and other scientist did.

[wwendt1]

True, but her book, her science, and her influence caused this to happens. Govts do not react in a vacuum. wmw

[humzep]

Why would anyone want to attack someone simply try to protect the health of you and your family and the environment we all live in?

[wwendt1]

I have to say that I read her book when it was published and I believed it as well. What often happens is that we over-react. I think that we are seeing some of the same with Al Gore and global warming. It is an issue, but to immediately have governments react and over-regulate the economies of the world is dangerous. WE must all be careful in what we say and do, or we may have an impact that is both unentended and perhaps not so good for the world. That is my point. . wmw

[RuggedLike]

How old were you when you read the book? How much hard evidence did it actually contain?

[wwendt1]

Let's see. It was published sometime in the mid seventies, so that would have made me 40 years of age - not young and not old. It was a good read, but I did not really question the evidence submitted in the book, but just took it as probably true. I now am less inclined to believe it and do feel that the result on the ban of DDT for all uses was over done. wmw

[WonderStoned]

@wwendt1 Rachel Carson had nothing to do with the banning of DDT. She simply said that we need to monitor the government's use if it. They should not just spray it wherever and whenever they want. The rest was done by others. They should use DDT in Africa.

Rachel Carson is a saint and a godsend. We might all be dead of poisons by now had it not been for her.

Unless of course you are one of those idiots that think nothing is wrong. The earth is not warming either I am sure.

[vetps]

@RuggedLike when was this broadcasted on TV??

Can anyone tell me please???!!!

[humzep]

The over-reacting part you speak of to me is not negative, obviously Carson spent years, not to mention her last dying years researching and didn't all of a sudden come up with this data! My point really is mainly to stop over using everything from food, meds, chemicals, etc.. Moderation is key. I'm not sure but DDT was prob invented with good intentions to cure or help some cases of Malaria, not to spray mas amounts for the heck of it!! Ya know, but that's America for ya!!

[2289567]

You misspelled mass. And DDT actually had a history of very safe use.

[lennonrevolver]

Way to look at the important issues here bud! I know how to spell mass, I must have been getting into the context of my message. What was the history of safe use, and was it in small quantities or large?