Silent Spring

Early History of DDT

During the time that Silent Spring was written and published DDT was one of the most widely used pesticides in the world. But the origins of DDT went back to the last quarter of the 19th century, when it was first synthesized by a German chemist in 1874. It wasn’t until just before the Second World War 65 years later that its true potential as an extremely effective pesticide was realized.

In Silent Spring, Rachel Carson cleverly writes about the almost casual way DDT was used as an insecticide. It was so universally used during the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s that it had taken on the characteristic of the familiar. It was used in homes, gardens, farms and forests in considerable amounts. From 1950-1960 more than 40,000 tonnes of DDT was used annually all over the world. At its peak, in 1963, more than more than 82,000 tonnes of DDT was produced. DDT was undoubtedly used indiscriminately and irresponsibly during this period at a considerable cost to the environment.

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Silent Spring