[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[Conservababe]

Rachael Carson and Carl Sagan must be in hell together....regretting their kitchen science efforts to change the world to suit themselves.

[bjcintennessee]

I am not a fan of environmental extremists, and perhaps this article is correct in concluding that hundreds of thousands in third world countries have died because DDT is no longer used. On the other hand, how many people did not contract life-threatening diseases due to exposure to DDT.

My premise is a simple one. My grand-daughter brought home lice from her day-care facility, which resulted in an intensive internet search of current treatments. Permethrin, the active ingredient in the most popular lice products, has been indicated in causing leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases.

So while there appears to be a direct link between the prohibition of DDT and mosquito spread-diseases, how can we determine how many lives were spared because the general population was not exposed to a chemical that could lead to other types of life-threatening diseases?

[powderhorn]

Rachael Carson was right. DDT was in our food chain. Each animal that ingests the stuff keeps it, until another animal kills it. In each level of the food chain it gets concentrated more.

When DDT gets in the rivers, bugs eat it. Up the chain it goes until some human goes fishing. If birds, cows, pigs, snakes, you name it, were getting sick from DDT, it doesn't take a genious to figure out that it's also a danger to humans.

Ok, now that being said, there is some limited benifit in its use. In Vietnam, 1967, peumonic plague hit the local village. After seven villagers died from it we sprayed our company area with DDT every day. You could taste it in the food, smell it in the air. You could feel it in your hair, in your cloths all the time. It was ever-present for nearly three weeks, but that was the end of the plague. I'd take my chances with DDT any day rather than take a chance with plague. But for most things I'd rather settle for a can of OFF.

[madfly]

ping

[ARCADIA]

Check this guy's bio. He's an eighteen year old conservative whiz kid from UCLA. Seems he specializes in making provocative statements.

[F.J. Mitchell]

Another tried and true adage that can be applied to Rachel Carson and the ecoextremists, is: "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

[aculeus]

The man who saved millions of lives ... with DDT.

[hattend]

BTTT

[AuntB]

I was telling my son about this woman yesterday and could not remember her name. Thanks, kattracks! I've always heard mosquito's don't like smoke....well, in So. Oregon we are surrounded with fire and filled to the gills with smoke AND mosquito's.