Posted on 02/24/2005 11:35:29 PM PST by nickcarraway
The insecticide DDT was banned in 1972. Should the ban be lifted for limited use? No, it can’t be used safely.
9.9%
Yes, it is one of the most effective pesticides ever devised, its dangers have been wildly exaggerated, and its restriction has caused great and unnecessary suffering especially in the developing world.
90.1%
votes: 182
Thank you for voting!
That isn't entirely true. While I appreciate that the distortion was more on the politics end of reporting the science, there was real and significant scientific fraud. For instance, the case "showing" that egg shells thinned with DDT...where the birds were deprived of adequate calcium as well as exposed to DDT. That is scientific fraud. And there are others.
Rachel Carson, Paul Erlich and all were the self appointed controlers of population.
Aren't these the same wingnuts that are telling us we'll all die from global warming?
It seems this little chemical is about as persistent as they come. When nature doesn't break it down, it shouldn't be used.
Of course, our ability to detect minuscule amounts of chemicals has increased by orders of magnitude during the last 25 years, and the amount of DDT in Raptors eggshells, one of the the most sensitive indicators, has dropped precipitously during that period.
So why continue the ban? Nature doesn't "break down" lead or arsenic or mercury either. It can't because they are elements, not compounds. But that doesn't mean they should be banned.
I think we have to look at consequences, not how "persistant" a chemical is.
Prowler certainly makes a case for, at the least, a re-evaluation.
Everytime I see this discussed I always wonder: What is the motivation of those that believe this lie? Is somebody making money? Power? Getting rid of brown people? I suppose I should spend as much time researching the money/power trails as I do the enviro-fraud.
My first real job was working for a aerial crop duster in 1951 in western Fresno county. I helped load planes with DDT and then as a "flagman" in the field marking off 40 foot sections of cotton and alfalfa to guide the pilot. No protective gear of any kind.
My father brought it home and used it on our large garden...
"Does anyone know of any good "anti-Green" websites that contain long lists of links to other similar examples of egregious behavior by the Greenies?"
Check out Dixie. She wrote extensivly about the Enviro. BS and as you can see with a sense of authority and credentialed.
Dr. Dixie Lee Ray, scientist, recipient of the United Nations Peace Prize and former Governor of Washington State, is the author of the best selling Trashing the Planet, a common-sense book dealing with the contentious issues where science and politics overlap and where environmentalism moves from well-meaning idealism to counterproductive eco-terrorism.
Here's an inteview with her....http://www.acton.org/publicat/randl/interview.php?id=52
I'd have to go to the original peer-reviewed paper(s) to decide that. There certainly was a HUGE amount of mis-reporting and inaccurate quoting of peer-reviewed work, but I still suspect that there was sufficient honest data to have made the scientifically correct decision, even with respect to the "egg-thinning" hypothesis.
Actually, "nature" DOES break it down, as she does EVERY organic molecule.
The link is provided in the A.S. article (pdf).
What I can't understand is the politics of this. Clearly DDT is a lifesaver when used appropriately. I guess the politicians are simply afraid that the past lies will not be recognized by voters who will succumb to the PC fear and vote against them. This is where an honest MSM could really HELP educate people. Unfortunately the MSM is in the pocket of the environuts and their false fear.
Link? Not that I doubt you but "persistence" is one of DDT's strengths. You can spray it on a house an it is protected for a long time.
You sure are willing to sacrifice a lot of people because of "persistence", especially considering it isn't the least bit harmful.
That is exactly it.. the left is interested in human population control, not mosquito population control.
That is why they are so consistent, banning ddt, pushing abortions, pushing birth control, fighting against families etc..
Their real goal is complete nihilism.
Bump.
Okay, lots of comments to me.
First, DDT has never been shown to be harmful to humans at all and I think you can eat all the vegetables you want.
Secondly, it is a harmful chemical. That is why we used it to kill insects (it is very harmful to them which makes it good for us.)
Thirdly, it has been shown to be harmful to other animals, mainly bird eggs (and birds eggs ..., well not a big deal unless we want to keep some of those birds around.)
Fourthly, not every chemical is broken down efficiently in nature and this one isn't. Everywhere it was sprayed 25 years ago, it is still there.
Fifth, it was very efficient at killing insects, mosquitos in particular, and at least 5 million people die every year from malaria and all the other deseases that mosquitos, in particular, spread (mosquitos kill more people each year than all other complex organisms combined.)
But this little chemical has too many side-effects, including birds and persistence, to be used. We could kill all the mosquitos we want with a few thousand thermonuclear weapons but noone is proposing that.
We need to use the other insecticides that are available.
Sixth, being able to call out "junk science" means that you must be able to say "proven science" too and then act accordingly.
Scientists tested the popular shell-thinning hypothesis. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists fed birds for 112 days on a diet with 100 times as much DDT as they were getting from the environment. No thinning of egg shells was found. The DDT had no effect on the birds.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.