DDT in the United States
Encyclopedia
The use of DDT in the United States is banned, except for a limited exemption for public health uses. The ban is due in a large part to Rachael Carson's book Silent Spring
.
that the issue came to the attention of the popular naturalist-author, Rachel Carson
. William Shawn
, editor of The New Yorker
, urged her to write a piece on the subject, which developed into her famous book Silent Spring
, published in 1962. The book argued that pesticide
s, including DDT, were poisoning both wildlife and the environment and were also endangering human health.
, the US ban on DDT is cited by scientists as a major factor in the comeback of the bald eagle
in the contiguous United States.
, some uses of DDT continued under the public health exemption, for emergency agricultural use. The federal regimen to regulate pesticides was restructured under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
(FIFRA) in October 1972. Under authority to control pesticide use granted in that Act, EPA approved DDT use against the pea leaf weevil in Washington and Idaho, in 1973, and against the tussock moth epidemic in Douglas fir in forests in the Northwest in 1974. In a health-related example, in June 1979, the California Department of Health Services was permitted to use DDT to suppress flea vectors of bubonic plague
.
Silent Spring
Silent Spring is a book written by Rachel Carson and published by Houghton Mifflin on 27 September 1962. The book is widely credited with helping launch the environmental movement....
.
Initial concerns about DDT
As early as the 1940s, scientists had begun expressing concern over possible hazards associated with DDT, and in the 1950s the government began tightening some of the regulations governing its use. However, these early events received little attention, and it was not until 1957 when the New York Times reported an unsuccessful struggle to restrict DDT use in Nassau County, New YorkNassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
that the issue came to the attention of the popular naturalist-author, Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson
Rachel Louise Carson was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement....
. William Shawn
William Shawn
William Shawn was an American magazine editor who edited The New Yorker from 1952 until 1987.-Education and Early Life:...
, editor of The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, urged her to write a piece on the subject, which developed into her famous book Silent Spring
Silent Spring
Silent Spring is a book written by Rachel Carson and published by Houghton Mifflin on 27 September 1962. The book is widely credited with helping launch the environmental movement....
, published in 1962. The book argued that pesticide
Pesticide
Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...
s, including DDT, were poisoning both wildlife and the environment and were also endangering human health.
Bald eagle
Along with the passage of the Endangered Species ActEndangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and...
, the US ban on DDT is cited by scientists as a major factor in the comeback of the bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
in the contiguous United States.
Continued use of DDT
According to Environmental Protection AgencyUnited States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
, some uses of DDT continued under the public health exemption, for emergency agricultural use. The federal regimen to regulate pesticides was restructured under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act , et seq. is a United States federal law that set up the basic U.S. system of pesticide regulation to protect applicators, consumers, and the environment. It is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency and the appropriate...
(FIFRA) in October 1972. Under authority to control pesticide use granted in that Act, EPA approved DDT use against the pea leaf weevil in Washington and Idaho, in 1973, and against the tussock moth epidemic in Douglas fir in forests in the Northwest in 1974. In a health-related example, in June 1979, the California Department of Health Services was permitted to use DDT to suppress flea vectors of bubonic plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
.
External links
- A Persistent Controversy, a Still Valid Warning - May Berenbaum, head of the entomology department at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
- Environmental Protection Agency on DDT
- EPA press release - December 31, 1972
- US Fish and Wildlife Service Historic News Releases - DDT