Article: How the EPA's empire-building got in the way of its science
The founding of the EPA, and the first major decision by its first administrator. DDT was found to be safe by a long series of scientific studies, but was banned for political reasons. [see also: The Lies of Rachel Carson]
I accept the idea that DDT causes eggshell thinning in raptors. However, that was due to indiscriminate spraying. Malaria can be controlled in third world countries by spraying the walls and floors of homes. There, it is stable and does not migrate into the water supply and thence into the food chains leading to the top raptors.
However, because the USA completely banned DDT, so did everyone else. That is the basis for the charge in this article (and elsewhere) that the DDT ban in the US has caused millions of deaths world-wide.
No comments:
Post a Comment