Three Most Interesting Points:
1. I have been notified of the prevalence of pesticides and other such chemicals on Earth before, but I don’t think it’s ever struck me quite as it did in the opening of this chapter. We truly are at a most unique point in time where these chemicals are not only prevalent, but universal. Never before has any mankind been so global in its dispersal of goods, and it certainly shows. These chemicals show up everywhere; they’re nigh impossible to avoid. And the fact that their origins are with WWII, and they were originally being found to be poisons for chemical warfare … that is one of the biggest turns around which I’ve ever had to wrap my head.
2. The effects of DDT are incredibly alarming. The fact that it can be stored up in your fats is especially morbid; let’s pretend you’re trying to get healthy, and you exercise more and burn fat and thus release more DDT into your system and wreck the delicate homeostatic balance. That may just be the worst thing to find out when one embarks on a fitness regimen. And it’s not even the worst out there: dieldrin, heptachlor, aldrin, parathion, malathion, endrin, herbicides, what-have-you. I cannot imagine how the benefits of killing pests (animal or plant) can overrule the obvious risk of destroying human health.
3. The very last paragraph, comparing the mutagenic properties of herbicides to the effects of radiation, was quite powerful. Obviously, the users of pesticides and herbicides are either not weighing the cons, or feel that the cons are light enough to be ignored; but ask any of them if they would like to live in Chernobyl and the answer will probably be “no”. Why? What makes this so different? It seems more harmless to the naked eye?
Question: Why is this toxic parade of -icides used? Are we that desperate? That is, what’s the story from the other side of this debacle; what’s their explanation for using such toxins?
Also, why is it always the Germans who find this stuff?
I just want some sort of explanation, even if it's a Tarquin-esque level of logic.
Also, why is it always the Germans who find this stuff?
Note: It was brought to my attention that the answer to "why we use pesticides" is mostly "so people will not starve to death".
ReplyDeleteJust to note, I don't mean why we try not to kill harmful insects, but more "why are the chemical companies not trying to figure out something less dangerous?"