After talking about Rachel Carson and Silent Spring, I did some background reading on DDT. According to All African Global Media:
During World War II, scientists developed an insect repellent known as DDT, but in the 1960s, scientists began saying that DDT caused cancer and should not be used around people. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been recommending the use of DDT, because mosquitoes carrying malaria are so bad in many African countries.
Malaria can cause premature births and spontaneous abortion in pregnant women. Malaria also causes 10 to 15% of the deaths of pregnant women in the whole African continent. Now in many African countries, people have to sleep under mosquito nets so they don’t get infected with malaria. The problem with the mosquito nets though, is that they do not kill the mosquitoes, they just stop them from biting people.
If the African people would start applying DDT to their roofs and walls, they could lower the amount of mosquitoes by 90%. Now scientists are saying that the DDT would not hurt any mammals, so it is safe to use. If Africans start using DDT, they will be able to save many people that could be killed by malaria.
From this information, it sounds like Rachel Carson jumped to conclusions, didn't do enough research, or manipulated her data to fit her hypothesis.
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World Malaria Day is April 25th, 2008. Africa Fighting Malaria is issuing a Call to Action to support indoor residual spraying, a highly effective, World Health Organization-approved method of malaria control – check out our interactive Africa map: http://fightingmalaria.org/issues.aspx?issue=14
Also check out our new video and support AFM's fight against malaria! http://fightingmalaria.org/AFMInAction/
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