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As humanity progresses forward into the next frontier of innovation and discovery, it has

lost its reverence and connection with the natural world. We, as a species, have an innate greed

to further our place within the universe. This desire supersedes our morals of preserving the

environment that houses us and our earthly neighbors. In this age dominated by human growth,

even the animals that live among us in our ecosystem have been neglected. Humans are selfish

creatures who use the world for their gain with little mind for anything else. This is especially

shown through the use of chemical pesticides and insecticides. These synthetic chemicals have

caused catastrophic damage to the flora and fauna of our Earth, and even to humanity itself. This

toxicity has invaded our lives according to Rachel Carson in her book, Silent Spring. Carson

argues strongly against the indiscriminate use of pesticides and insecticides because of their

damage to humans, the environment, and animals but she also champions alternative means of

vegetational and insect control which have shown strong inclinations of viability in the short

term and long term.

Synthetic chemicals have been so widely distributed across the nation that it has touched

almost every aspect of life since the 1940s. Rachel Carson argues that these pesticides “...have

entered and lodged in the bodies of fish, birds, reptiles, and domestic and wild animals…” even

reaching the most protected point of human life, these synthetic pesticides are in the tissues of

unborn children (Carson, 15-16). These synthetic chemicals have also changed the very genetic

makeup of human life. Carson paints a picture of how these insecticides and pesticides have the

capability to destroy enzymes that are vital in protecting the body, it also blocks the oxidation

process that facilitates the body’s ability to receive energy, and these damages can even go as far

malignancy by initiating a change that can slow the cell cycle in cells (Carson, 16). The use of

synthetic chemicals has changed the war against unwanted plants and insects in an extremely
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dangerous way. This is a war that “is never won, and all life is caught in its violent crossfire”

(Carson, 8). The indiscriminate use of chemicals has caused extreme adverse effects to all of life.

Rachel Carson is against the use of these materials in order to control or eradicate unwanted

species of plants and insects because of their lethality and lack of specialization to a specific life

form. One major component in weed and insect killers is arsenic which is incredibly toxic and is

considered carcinogenic, or cancer-causing (Carson, 17). This compound is responsible for

“sickness and death among horses, cows, goats, pigs, deer, fishes, and bees…” across the nation

(Carson, 17). Other highly toxic chemicals that are used widely are hydrocarbons such as DDT

(dichloro,diphenyl-trichloro-ethane), chlordane, heptachlor, dieldrin, aldrin, and endrin. Alkyl

and organic phosphates are other families of insecticides, a specific being parathion. This organic

phosphate is so toxic that Carson recounts how one chemist, who wanted to determine the lethal

dose of parathion for humans, had paralysis set in so instantaneously that he was unable to reach

the antidote in time, causing his death (Carson, 19). The use of this chemical as an insecticide

has caused the accidental death of hundreds. Human life has been destroyed throughout history

in humanity’s crusade against the environment because of the lethal means humanity will go to.

Another event that Carson states is of a truck driver who died within 24 hours after reaching his

bare hand into a drum of a mixture of pentachlorophenol (a weed killer) and diesel oil (Carson,

36). These are only a few incidents Carson highlights about human loss due to humanity’s own

doing through synthetic chemical spraying. These pesticides and insecticides’ harm goes beyond

humans and affects animals due to the uncontrollable and unpredictable secondary effects. The

extreme amount of pesticide usage has caused a unique secondary effect of runoff in waterways

nationwide. Carson argues how “...the bulk of… contaminants are the… residues… of

agricultural chemicals that… have been leached out of the ground by rain…” and they enter
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streams and other waterways that provide water to many life forms (Carson, 40). Carson also

discusses a test that was done in Pennsylvania that revealed that the drinking water from an

orchard had enough insecticide to kill the test fish in as soon as 4 hours (Carson, 41). This is

further supported by a study from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service that also found fish

containing DDT. All those who live in nature coexist as seen how spraying in one area can reach

far and wide. The contamination of waterways has had catastrophic effects on birds also such as

in Clear Lake where a breeding bird, the western grebe, had huge losses of life. They feed on the

fish within a lake that had been contaminated with the synthetic chemical, DDD (Carson, 47).

The very environment that humans and animals share is gravely destroyed by the constant

spraying of chemicals. The war we have waged on our earthly home is one because of humans'

black-and-white view of the world. A view that revolves around man wanting to rid the

environment of whatever we deem is undesirable. Our need to control the entirety of our

surroundings is seen in the destruction of the very environment we are supposed to protect in the

name of furthering humanity. Carson tells the story of the eradication of the sagebrush in the

West. These brushes provided food and shelter, especially during the winter months, to many

different creatures. Two of the animals are the pronghorn antelope and the sage grouse, both

seeing a steep decline in population after the continual effort to eradicate sagebrushes. This was

only the primary effect of the spraying, there was an even more sinister secondary effect that was

unseen. The lack of specialization of this spray has caused other plants to be targets of its toxicity

causing the elimination of willows (Carson, 64-67). One important process for plants called

nitrification can be stopped because of herbicides such as 2,4-D, the interruption of this process

can be deadly to the plant (Carson, 57). Many natural areas also have a declining population of

trees due to spraying of weed killers and insecticides. Arguably one of the largest missteps we
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have taken in our war against weeds and insects was in Detroit due to the indiscriminate spraying

of aldrin over the entire city in attempts to rid the city of the Japanese beetle, an insect brought

over accidentally from overseas. This city-wide spraying caused the death of birds, sickness in

domestic cats and dogs, and even caused sickness within some of the human population in the

area (Carson, 88-91). This was a genocide of animals across the midwest in the name of

eradicating a harmless intruder. The horrors seen in this one situation is a common theme across

the United States and the synthetic chemical companies deny the damage they are causing to the

planet and its inhabitants. All of these tragedies are easily avoidable through the use of

alternative means of control.

Carson champions throughout her book for alternative methods that are less extreme and

harmful than the current methods of mass chemical spraying that is poisoning the nation. One

method that she supports repeatedly is instead of aerial spraying over large acres of land, is to

use selective spraying to specifically target the unwanted plants which reduces that chance of

harming neighboring plants and animals. Carson mentions that this method “...was developed by

Dr. Frank Egler…” and that “it took advantage of the inherent stability of nature..” so that by

directly spraying the trees that they wanted to eliminate along the roadside it would help

“...preserve all other vegetation” (Carson, 74-75). This has seen success across areas of the

United States that have employed this method of spraying. Selective spraying is incredibly

beneficial and less shocking to the environment because of how little it needs to be done because

of its direct treatment. Another natural form of control mentioned by Carson is the glaringly

obvious form of biological control, competition, among animals. The use of competition for both

plants and insects is the most natural and most effective way to control the unwanted vegetation.

Carson argues, “spraying consequently destroys… protective vegetation…” that in turn reduces
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the competition that would naturally control and diminish the population of the unwanted plant

(Carson, 80). A specific example of this biological control mentioned by Carson is of the

Klamath weed which has the natural predator in beetles from the south of France. They are so

specialized in their diet that they only eat this weed and as the population of the Klamath

declines so will the beetle (Carson, 81-82). As mentioned before about the Japanese beetle, this

infestation actually began in the eastern states and traveled to the midwest. The eastern states

actually took advantage of an alternative method that was in turn safer and actually provided

better control than the extreme spraying that was done in Detroit and other places. They used a

natural predator, a parasitic wasp from Korea, that is extremely specific in that it will not harm

any other creature but the beetle. Not only did they procure the help of these predators but they

also discovered how to use disease organisms to combat the Japanese beetles. Using a bacterial

disease called milky spore disease, the population of the beetles was in control and significantly

reduced (Carson, 96-97). Carson also backs other alternative forms such as male sterilization, the

use of sound in the form of ultrasonic sound and repellent sounds, and other forms of spraying.

The technique of male sterilization would reduce the amount of eggs being produced and the

eggs that were produced would be infertile (Carson, 279). Carson mentions how sound was first

“...being tested in Canada against corn borer and cutworm moths,” the use of ultrasonic sound

would actually kill their larvae (Carson, 288). The use of repellent sound has many practical

applications that could be used to control populations. An alternative spraying method that

Carson proposed was devised by Dr. Pickett, it was a method that would use very little

insecticide at a specific time during the season where natural predators of the insect would be

spared (Carson, 260). These alternative methods have shown incredible promise to be better than
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their predecessor of synthetic chemicals because of their attention towards making the least

environmental impact and using direct means of eradicating unwanted pests and weeds.

Looking at these alternative solutions towards the chemical warfare humanity has raged

on the environment, they are incredibly viable and have a great chance at becoming reality.

Many of these alternatives are cost effective, saving millions of dollars for states that have used

them. The cost of importing many of these natural predators had cost typically less than ten

thousand dollars, with the importation of some predators from Australia costing only $5,000

allowing for the saving of millions for California fruit growers (Carson, 257). They are

incredibly effective in the short and long term with changes being seen in a few weeks and

lasting in some cases for 20 years. When it comes to natural control, it self regulates as it is a

coexisting predator and prey relationship. The only hindrance that could affect the reality of

these alternatives is the lack of funding and support for biological control studies. Many states

still opt for chemical spraying as it is the most popular, well funded, and lobbied for in the

government. This is the reality in the United States but these alternatives have taken fruit in

Canada and Europe. I believe these alternatives if they get the support and funding nationally,

they would be a much better reality than the one we live in where we are causing an

enviromental genocide.

Silent Spring opens the eyes of the world to the damage we are doing to the planet. We

have lost our reverence for the natural world and instead have taken it to war, trying to control

what we like and what we don’t like. This human greed has led us to use synthetic chemicals that

are incredibly dangerous. Carson provides ample proof of the dangers they pose to not only us

but our earthly neighbors and our very planet. If we do not look towards the alternatives she

provides, we will forever ruin the world.