Rachel Carson was the
pioneering force behind raising awareness on the rising issues of the impact
that humans were having on the environment and how these effects would eventually
harm them. Through her book Silent
Springs, Carson pointed out key facts on how industrial activity affected
the environment. Some of the main issues
she addressed in her book were the unmonitored use of pesticides high in DDT
and how once introduced into the ecosystem would eventually affect organisms as
well as the food chain. In the book,
Carson discussed a number of case studies that showed the effects of chemical
pesticides on the environment. She tells of how the pesticides not only aid in
getting rid of pests but have also contributed to long term health effects on
humans, one of the main ones being cancer. She also stressed on how harmful
effects may not be observed immediately and could be incorporated deeply into
natural systems and affect future generations.
Prior to the eye
opening observations stated in her book, the environmental health movement of
that period (60’s and 70’s) was not very forthcoming and there was not much
thought to the long term effects of human actions on the earth.
Although the book
caused a lot of controversy, it also contributed to the government taking
positive steps into started the Environmental Health movement as well as
developing legislation and agencies that would ensure that the use of chemicals
were regulated.
I feel that Silent Springs was very effective in the
present environmental health movement because of the fact that she used real
life examples of how pesticides affect the environment. She uses examples of
effects of DDT on certain aquatic organism populations in parts of the country
and how once one organism is affected, it causes a chain effect of negative
consequences.
Another reason I feel the book was effective was that Carson did
not advocate for the banning of pesticides but she called for further
investigation into its effects on human health. In a way, this may have spurred
fear in the hearts of the population as little medical research had been
conducted to determine the long term effects of constant exposure on the body.
