15-107 Science Matters DDT & the Modern Environmental Movement I

Lead: It seemed to be a miracle: Farmers worldwide looked ahead to the prospect of lush fields of produce free of pests. All they had to do was use DDT.

Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts.

Content: In the years following the Civil War the United States government, through the newly-created Department of Agriculture, began to aggressively promote industrialized agriculture. It was an amazing success. Techniques developed at land-grant colleges and applied by county extension agents brought a new level of technology to the ancient practice of food cultivation. Increased efficiency and mechanization made the American farmer the envy of the world. Per capita output soared and farm population began to shrink, thus freeing workers for growing urban industrial enterprise.

Yet by the early decades of the twentieth century, problems began to arise as per-acre production growth began to diminish. One of the techniques used in the new science was monoculture, the practice of planting row upon row of identical vegetation over huge stretches of landscape. Insects loved it; these pests--which along with uncooperative weather were the ancient enemies of the hard-working farmer--had a field day. It was banquet time! Something had to be done to control infestation. Plant-derived and metallic insecticides such as pyrethrum, lead arsenate and copper sulfate had been tried but did not work well. Then in 1939 Swiss chemist Paul Müller discovered the insecticidal properties of dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane. DDT, the combination of chlorine, alcohol, and sulfuric acid, was described as early as 1874 as a war poison. Müllers discovery helped crop production soar, but in 1948--the year he won the Nobel prize--the USDA observed the first DDT-resistant insects.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• amit
• DanRoberts
• amomentintime
• history
• universityofrichmond

[Apox426]

yay ap bio at richards