pesticides weren't always thought to be harmful to the contrary in 1947 Time Magazine carried an advertisement claiming DDT was good for people homes and Farms it took 20 years before scientists realized how dangerous it was it begins with the warborn development of DDT this diabolical weapon of modern science saved millions of humans but killed billions of insects man with this newly discovered Force has at long last gained the upper hand in our age-old struggle just like these mosquito lar it came from Laboratories where top scientists from famous universities and from industrial and government organizations collaborated to develop something new and different they succeeded they perfected pesty the most effective weapon man has ever wielded against insects to begin with this new pest killer is a DDT preparation we realize what that means once a bug comes in contact with DDT he's lost all he has to do is just walk on any pesto treated surface DDT is absorbed through the feet and spreads throughout the insect's entire nervous system the effect is disastrous DDT seems to literally Drive bugs crazy but not for long DDT next paralyzes then [Music] kills in both its forms powder and liquid pesty means doomsday to us insects for this new insect Destroyer contains a lot of DDT not just a little its DDT content is even higher than government specifications but the really sure kill feature of this insect killer isn't simply that it contains DDT it's the way that it makes sure that bugs get the DDT that's in it the same deadly effectiveness of the liquid form is found in the pesty powder it is so easy to apply because of a new efficient dispenser package all people have to do is to press the patented top like this it's a handful of concentrated death this powder is truly activated it contains stabilized parum and ingredient which literally stampedes insects from their hiding places to bring them into contact with DDT indoors or Outdoors stirs them up drives them out of cracks and [Music] crevices with the possibility of a serious infantalism health authorities of the city of San Antonio Texas attack The Germ carriers throughout the city with the war discovered DDT and special sprayers sections of the city are blanketed with the insecticide in the fight to stop the spread of the dread Pootis every suspected spot is [Music] sprayed even the streams are disinfected and in the Parks and public places children are for bitten to [Music] gather tons of DDT are used in this fight against the dread disease whose principal Target is the young again War has contributed one of its discoveries to save life from 1945 to 1955 annual pesticide use on farms went from 1225 million to over 600 million soon government agencies began treating even the suburbs with DDT people thought it was a good thing because they got action in solving a problem as they conceived it they were for example complaining about mosquitoes and if the spray truck came down the street they were told to just stay indoors for a few minutes and everything would be all right so you had the government endorsing product and you had the chemical industry pushing it very aggressively there was a development program going on with within the carpet system saying well a little bit is good but a lot more much better isn't it public health department staged demonstrations to convince the public of ddt's Effectiveness and safety enthusiasm for the chemical knew no bounds and few were questioning the wisdom of such use public places and private backyards were being treated whether people liked it or not in 1957 Plaines sprayed a Massachusetts bird sanctuary owned by Olga Huckins a friend of Carson's in Fury and Desperation Huckins told her what had happened the birds showed all the symptoms typical of DDT poisoning Huckins knew that the planes would be back in spite of her protests asked Carson for help Carson later remembered how the thought of a spring silent of bird song had moved her to action it was your personal letter to me that started it all in it you told what had happened and begged me to find someone in Washington who could help it was in the course of finding that someone that I realized I must write the book we have to remember that children born today are exposed to these chemicals from birth perhaps even before birth now what is going to happen to them in adult life as a result of that exposure we simply don't know this is one of the nation's best sellers first printed on September 27 1962 in her groundbreaking book Silent Spring Rachel Carson jolted a prosperous postwar America a country confident that Science and Technology were leading the way to a future in which disease and hunger could be overcome in no small part thanks to a new generation of powerful pesticides but in Silent Spring Carson warned that progress had a price these sprays dust and aerosols are now applied almost universally to Farms Gardens forests and homes nonselective chemicals that have the power to kill every insect the good and the bad to steal the song of birds and the leaping of fish in the streams all this though the intended target may be only a few weeds or insects through sheer determination Carson participated in an hourlong CBS News documentary on pesticides CBS reports the Silent Spring of Rachel Carson which aired not long after Silent Spring became a national bestseller can anyone believe it is POS possible to lay down such a barrage of poisons on the surface of the Earth without making it unfit for all life while Carson didn't contend that chemical insecticides must never be used she faced harsh opposition a spokesman for the chemical industry Dr Robert White Stevens the major claims in Miss Rachel Carson's book silence spring are gross distortions of the actual facts completely unsupported by scientific experiment Al evidence and general practical experience in the field if men were to Faithfully follow the teachings of missc Carson we would return to the Dark Ages and the insects and diseases and Vermin would once again inherit the earth and when CBS turned to government experts the questions were many but the answers few Dr Paige Nicholson water pollution expert Public Health Service do you know how long the p pesticides persist in the water once they get into it not entirely do you know the extent to which our groundwater may be contaminated right now by pesticides we don't know that either nor do we know if concentration may be occurring in groundwater there appears to be growing concern among scientists as to the possibility of dangerous long range side effects from the widespread use of DDT and other pesticides have you considered asking the department of Agriculture or the Public Health Service to take a closer look at this yes I I and I know that they already are I think particularly of course since Miss Carson's book but they are Miss Carson maintains that the balance of nature is a major force in the survival of man whereas the modern chemist the modern biologist the modern scientist believes that man is steadily controlling nature now uh to these people apparently the the balance of nature was something that was um repealed as soon as man came on the scene well you might just as well assume that you could repeal the the law of gravity the balance of nature is built of a series of inter relationships between living things and between living things and their environment you can't just step in with some brute force and change one thing without changing with many others now this doesn't mean of course that we must never interfere that we must not attempt to tilt that balance of nature in our favor but unless we do bring these chemicals under better control we are certainly headed for disaster Rachel Carson author of The Landmark book Silent Spring started a revolution during the 1950s when crop dusting planes and insect sprays blanketed plants with DDT Carson warned of the dangers of chemical pesticides she warned of science's power to alter nature and called for government action to protect its citizens because of her Courage the disaster did not come to pass and with Carson's words and spirit the modern environmental movement was born