Posted on 04/30/2004 6:45:23 PM PDT by UnklGene
DDT vs. Death by Malaria -
Drs. Michael A. Glueck & Robert J. Cihak
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | The pervasive superstition that DDT is utterly noxious remains immune to scientific evidence to the contrary. These myths are much more persistent in some minds than DDT is in the environment.
That DDT prevented 500 million deaths by 1970 and that the banning of its use in poor countries has resulted in millions of unnecessary deaths holds no sway with true believers in this doctrine.
Where did this myth originate?
In 1962, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, arguably the most important American book since "Uncle Tom's Cabin" kicked off the Civil War. Silent Spring, with its apocalyptic claims of the effects of the insecticide DDT, became a founding tract of the environmentalist movement. Today, many of her claims are now known to be the result of sloppy science, or worse. But the superstition that DDT is always and forever evil persists in too many minds, along with murderous disregard of its life-saving properties.
In a remarkable article in the April 11th New York Times Magazine, "What the World Needs Now Is DDT," Tina Rosenberg, a Times editorial writer, describes how DDT should be used more extensively in Africa, and points out why it is not. She writes:...
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...
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