Silent Spring - Rachel Carson - Part 4

Silent Spring - Rachel Carson

2017 Reading Challenge - Day 16

 January 16, 2017 

Book 3 - Silent Spring
by Rachel Carson (1962)

 Part 4 - Pages 155-216

Reading Time - 70 minutes

More sad news. Back in the 1950s, the US Department of Agriculture decided that it would be a good idea to eradicate the Gypsy Moth and the Fire Ant. It didn't go very well. Apparently, someone later said it was "ill advised, hastily conceived, poorly planned and a glaring example of riding roughshod over the responsibilities of other public and private agencies". Maybe the Department had extra cash floating around at the end of the fiscal year? But their multi-year spraying program did nothing to the Fire Ants or Gypsy Moths. In fact, that seems to be the case with most of these mass spraying stories. Spraying millions of acres to kill one species is just crazy. Particularly as the damage to farms, orchards and livestock is massive.

The author notes, however, that it's not just mass sprayings that are a problem but innumerable small-scale exposures over time - the cumulative effect of biocides in the environment and in human bodies. All of a sudden, I'm wondering what exactly is in bug dope and how long I've been using that stuff. Bug dope that dissolves varnish but is safe for human skin. Right...

Makes me wonder about store-bought veggies and fruits... especially things imported from Mexico or elsewhere in the world. If pesticides sit within the skin and outer leaves... we should really discard that stuff. But if we throw the peels into our compost bin... and then spread the compost over our garden... are we not poisoning our garden? Makes me wonder.

Ultimately, the answer would appear to be to use less (or no!) toxic chemicals and/or try non-chemical methods.

Beyond the garden though, the scarier thought is what happens to the human body after years of exposure to various biocides. We might not see results for decades and there may be no obvious cause/effect. Plus, individuals will have individual tolerances and reactions. But it does affect that liver and the nervous system... Right... I read those words and thought... what about the upsurge in depression in the last few decades. What about autism? What about Alzheimers? All these illnesses that have seen a marked upsurge in recent decades.

Oh... and in case that wasn't enough... all those pesticides will have an affect on our cells, affecting their ability to produce energy and function. Muck with a little cell and it might turn into a cancer cell. Or maybe it will cause infertility. Recently, there have been studies which suggest that the health of our gut bacteria has a direct impact on our physical and mental health. Depression may be linked to a wonky gut flora.

I'm thinking in a few hundred years, humanity, if it still has accurate history (thank you George Orwell), will look back on the 1900s and call it the Great Poisoning.