Toxic Pesticides In Silent Spring By Rachel Carson
In the mid-twentieth century, there were high uses of toxic pesticides--namely DDT. Overtime these pesticides would have toxic effects on the environment and organisms. An environmentalist named Rachel Carson was greatly bothered by this and wrote the book Silent Spring explaining the toxicity of insecticides and their effects on life. Carson explained the effects that insecticides were having on life at that time, and the effects that would happen in the future if insecticide use continued. Silent Spring is an important book, and has had a big impact on the environment. The main points of Silent Spring were to educate people on the dangers of pesticides, to show how pesticides can affect aspects of nature, and to tell why it was wrong of humans
…show more content…
In the fourth chapter, Carson talks about how water is one of our most important natural resources but we keep contaminating it with pollutants. She states that the pollutants come in many forms such as radioactive waste from laboratories, domestic waste from cities, chemical waste from factories, and fallout from nuclear explosions and chemical sprays. She points out that some chemicals are purposely added to water to try to “destroy plants, insect larvae, or undesired fishes (pg. 40).” She states that some pollutants can travel through the soil and into groundwater, which she describes as one of the most disturbing water pollutants as all water on Earth was once groundwater. She states that pollution of groundwater is essentially pollution of the entire Earth. In the fifth chapter, Carson talks about how chemicals affect soil. The pesticides seep into the soil, then travel into plants, which humans and other animals later eat. Carson points out that some of the insecticides that are used to kill pesky insects can also kill beneficial insects who have the essential function of breaking down organic matter (pg. 56). It can also prevent necessary fungi from forming at the roots of trees--fungi that helps the tree extract nutrients from the soil. In one study, the use of many pesticides prevented nitrogen-fixing bacteria from growing at the roots of vegetable plants (pg. 56-57). A group of specialists from the Syracruse University stated that “a few false moves on the part of man may result in destruction of soil productivity and the arthropods may well take over (pg.
In the fourth chapter, Carson talks about how water is one of our most important natural resources but we keep contaminating it with pollutants. She states that the pollutants come in many forms such as radioactive waste from laboratories, domestic waste from cities, chemical waste from factories, and fallout from nuclear explosions and chemical sprays. She points out that some chemicals are purposely added to water to try to “destroy plants, insect larvae, or undesired fishes (pg. 40).” She states that some pollutants can travel through the soil and into groundwater, which she describes as one of the most disturbing water pollutants as all water on Earth was once groundwater. She states that pollution of groundwater is essentially pollution of the entire Earth. In the fifth chapter, Carson talks about how chemicals affect soil. The pesticides seep into the soil, then travel into plants, which humans and other animals later eat. Carson points out that some of the insecticides that are used to kill pesky insects can also kill beneficial insects who have the essential function of breaking down organic matter (pg. 56). It can also prevent necessary fungi from forming at the roots of trees--fungi that helps the tree extract nutrients from the soil. In one study, the use of many pesticides prevented nitrogen-fixing bacteria from growing at the roots of vegetable plants (pg. 56-57). A group of specialists from the Syracruse University stated that “a few false moves on the part of man may result in destruction of soil productivity and the arthropods may well take over (pg.