Silent Spring was the biggest load that I’ve ever tried to read.
However, I've been to weddings at which the bride/groom read a passage from it.
I always thought it was Carson's revenge on humanity from beyond-the-grave for going on without her.
Perusing the on-screen tv listings, one of the local PBS stations described a Carson program as something along the lines of "...her criticism of the chemical industry was without the bias expected of her cancer affliction..."
Not exactly sure when "carcinogen" was deemed verified, but the lead scientist was one of the first that went looking for anti-carcinogens.
My favorite story is that he had his grad students do tests on cheeseburgers, and the Velveeta-covered burger scored the best in the carcinogen/anti-carcinogen ratio.