When Politics Kills: Malaria and the DDT Story

[bobn]

Check out the story of DDT and Malaria at: http://www.cei.org/gencon/005,01986.cfm

It is worth noting that the banning of most uses for DDT was the result of widespread public opposition to DDT after the publication of Rachel Carson's influential Silent Spring. It didn't matter that this book was a complete fictional setting. So much for science!

[cowman]

I have found that most so-called environmentalists usually take the concept of "don't confuse me with the facts" to heart. If its chemical, hormonal, anti-biotic or has anything to do with the genes it has to be evil!
Most of them don't realize without these scientific breakthroughs we would be a pretty sorry lot. But then most of them are affluent northern Europeans! Pretty easy to run around causing trouble when you can afford to shop at the health food store, in your designer clothes, driving your BMW!

[cowman]

Here is kind of an interesting little side story on DDT. My Dad told me this.
When they were pulling out of Italy, his battalion was treated for lice. He said they were in no way lousy. Anyway everybody stripped...hundreds of young soldiers. They were dusted with DDT using those old dusting pumps. He said a lot of guys got really sick...so much so that the Germans were able to dig in and stop the advance.
He said he got a questionaire for ten years after the war inquiring about his health. He figured it was one big experiment and they were the guinea pigs.