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Born on this Day – in 1907 Packing Away Pesticides
27 May 2017

Packing Away Pesticides

Rachel Carson’s best-selling book, “Silent Spring”, spurred an environmental movement that led to the global ban of a harmful pesticide. In it, Carson (right, performing marine research) explores how man-made pesticides can harm animals, plants and people. It was published in 1962, when the pesticide DDT was used globally in an attempt to stop crops being eaten by insects and to halt the spread of diseases such as malaria and typhus, which are transmitted by insects. Following the book’s publication, President John F. Kennedy and his Science Advisory Committee investigated Carson’s claims. They found that DDT, and the substances into which it degrades, are toxic and can linger in soil for a long time. It has also been shown that DDT doesn't just kill insects but can harm large birds and spiders too. As a result of these findings, DDT was banned in the United States in 1972.

Written by Charlotte Rose Davison

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.