This chapter is full of chemistry about the pesticides that were in current use when Carson was writing. She focuses primarily on three groups: arsenic compounds, chlorinated hydrocarbons (of which DDT is one) and the organic phosphates.
Here to I am struck by the challenge that Carson poses in her closing sentence for this chapter: We are rightly appalled by the genetic effects of radiation; how then, can we be indifferent to the same effect in chemicals that we disseminate widely in our environment? (p. 37)
Your turn, what struck you as important, scary, challenging, etc. in this chapter?
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"What sets the new synthetic insecticides apart is their enormous biological potency. They have immense power not merely to poison but to enter in the most vital processes of the body and change them into sinister and often deadly ways...."(16-17).
Carson states that more and more deadly chemicals are added to the list each year and that continues up until today. The insecticides that she was talking about could break enzymes that were supposed to protect the body, block oxygen, prevent the functioning of organs and can make cells slow down and change so the body can't work right. I found this scary and as the chapter went on, the effects of these chemicals got even worse. DDT, chlordane, heptachlor, deildrin, aldrin, endrin and many more are all extremely toxic and dangerous. I think that the title of the chapter "Elixirs of Death" is also very fitting.
"for the 1st time in the history of the world, every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals from the moment of conception until death" (15).
This quote really resonated with me. I was pretty scared honestly that we are so vulnerable to these compounds not just for a few weeks or months, but for a lifetime. Exposure to these chemicals can have significant health affects which is why it is scary. Kids born in the last two decades, when these chemicals became thoroughly distributed, (us) are in contact with chemicals for their lifetime, which is why this quote caught my eye, it relates directly to us.
Chapter 3
"insecticide residues have been recovered from human milk...building up in his body" (23)
A huge health risk for people all over the globe is ingesting and being overexposed to chemicals and toxins that are used in the environment. Whether sprayed over foods or polluted into the air, excess waste is constantly a threat to both plants and animals who are not properly built to sustain these unnatural and unhealthy changes.
"This means that the breast-fed human infant...chemicals building up in his body." (Carson, 23)
That is terrifying information. Even back then they knew that not just plant life and other parts of earth, but even humans themselves. We are not just poisoning the atmosphere, we are poisoning ourselves. For what? So that we don't have to deal with insects as they had stated in the previous chapter? That is taking sacrifices to a whole new level. Because of that discovery, you would assume that over tests on environmental harm would have been done. But in general it is scary to see how flippantly we use chemicals, disregarding the potential harm it could cause.
"What sets the new synthetic insecticides apart is their enormous biological potency. They have immense power not merely to poison but to enter into the most vital processes of the body and change them in sinister and often deadly ways" (16).
The information from this passage about the new synthetic insecticides is extremely frightening and eye opening. The fact that these new insecticides being used can alter vital processes of the body in deadly ways is more than concerning. Why are these synthetic insecticides being allowed if they are so dangerous to humans? Additionally, these new insecticides have the capability of destroying enzymes that protect the body from harm. Personally, if these insecticides are capable of causing harm to not only the environment, but to humans as well, they should be banned.
"In being man-made - by ingenious laboratory manipulation of the molecules, substituting atoms, altering their arrangement - they differ sharply from the simpler, insecticides of prewar days," (16).
The people who handle these organic phosphates are at a serious risk and take that risk because they might not be completely aware of the side effects. DDT is more deadly than people think. In current day, the chemicals used in everyday household items are stronger and take longer to decompose.
- Veronica Abt -
"Arsenic is a highly toxic variety of weed and insect killers. Arsenic is a highly toxic mineral occurring widely in association with ores of various metals, and in very small amounts in volcanoes, in the sea, and in spring water," (17).
When I was reading this information on arsenic, it made me very worried. I keep hearing of arsenic poisoning and how it can first seem like a illness that will pass, but really it's this deadly disease. It makes you wonder what really happens in the world and what can really effect our bodies.
"In the less than two...tissues of the unborn child" (15-16).
One of the many bad things about pollutants is that they don't disappear quickly. They stay around for a long time, absorbed into the earth and in animals such as fish, as Carson talks about. The pollution from over ten years before are still present and affecting the environment. This also means that the pollution we create will be affected the environment in the future. The scariest thought is that these chemicals are present in humans, and they can affect an unborn child and people of all ages. The outcome from this could be devastating.
"The full scope of the dangerous interaction of chemicals is as yet little known, but disturbing findings now come regularly from scientific laboratories."(32)
This struck me as a bit scary because we now know that there are still many undiscovered chemical interactions and it's always possible that many could be very harmful. I think Carson wanted the reader to realize that we should still be aware of the harm certain chemicals can have on the planet and humans so we can avoid them
"This situation also means that today the average individual almost certainly starts life with the first deposit of the growing load of chemicals..."(23)
Synthetic chemicals have been so widely produced and used that it in inevitable that humans have it in their bodies. The chemicals used to kill insects, can get into or onto, soil and plants. Then the plants are either eaten by us or used as feed for other animals. The animals now have these chemicals in their system. Chickens will now lay eggs with chemicals in them, cows will produce milk with the chemicals, and produce young who also now have the chemicals in them. Humans eat the eggs or chickens and drink the milk and now the chemicals are in them. It was amazing to me how easily these chemicals can travel and how many people, plants, and animals it can affect.
"To adjust to these chemicals...biologic expierence"
This passage just shocked me. Carson is basically saying improvement is pretty much impossible and that it would take lifetimes for people and animals to adjust to certain chemicals. It's just kind of sickening, as well that somehow 500 of these manage to fit into use. It's crazy and just seems like a staggering and huge numver. It makes me fear how much real science and want for real improvement are scientists actually doing in the laboratory.
"As long ago as the mid-1930's a special group of hydrocarbons, the chlorinated naphthalenes, was found to cause hepatitis, and also a rare almost invariably fatal liver disease in persons subjected to occupational exposure." (25)
The impact such chemicals can have on humans is very dangerous because they can get into your system and make you really sick because they are so bad for you. Diseases have been caused and diagnosed because of exposure to a special group of hydrocarbons that our body cant handle. These diseases such as the liver disease could be as severe as fatal which is pretty shocking that that's how serious these chemicals are. These chemicals have a very high negative impact on humans, plants and the atmosphere as well.
“In less than two decades of their use, the synthetic pesticides have been so thoroughly distributed throughout the animate and inanimate world that they occur virtually everywhere” (15).
It is shocking to imagine that everything surrounding our bodies and everything we consume is contaminated. I feel Carson wants to show how easily humans can adapt to new surroundings and situations. Because humans are uninformed about the detrimental effects that the synthetics have on our bodies, we ignorantly go about life failing to make a change. Even those that are informed don’t always make the necessary changes because lasting effects of the synthetic pesticides aren’t yet experienced.
"The long duration of its residues and the effective insecticidal action make dieldrin one of the most used insecticides today, despite the appalling destruction of wildlife that has followed its use", (25).
I was shocked when I read that dieldrin is still used as an insecticide today. To humans, it is exponentially more toxic than DDT, where DDT is very harmful on its own. At high concentrations, dieldrin could potentially kill far more than insects. In fact, I would not be surprised to hear that farmers who use high levels of dieldrin find that the plants they grow are the only species that survive. In the future I feel dieldrin will be a potential threat to wildlife and farm animals as well as mankind.
"For the first time in history...the moment of conception until death." (15)
"They have entered and lodged in the bodies of fish...from such contamination." (15-16)
I find this interesting and frightening. Two decades to modern day, people including us have been breathing in and possibly eating dangerous chemicals. I understand and find it realistic that we breathe in dangerous chemicals. Breathing in pollution and smoke is dangerous chemicals in my mind but what really struck me is that the dangerous chemicals are in soil and animals also. Carson said that the chemicals are found in fish and then as I read more I saw they are found "in man himself." I feel uncomfortable about that honestly, also how that the chemicals are in the mothers milk. The most fascinating thing I read is that the chemicals may already be in the unborn baby's tissue. The chemicals are already int he baby's body and they have not breathed a single breath outside of the mothers whom.
"For the first time in the history of the world, every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the moment of conception until death" (pg 15).
As the opening line of a chapter, I felt this statement particularly overwhelming. As human beings, we only see illnesses, diseases, accidents, etc as the only threats posed on our lives. We sometimes fail to see that the ground we walk on poses some of the most serious of threats. It's frightening that we can't escape some of the deadliest of factors because they surround us from birth to death. As visitors on this planet, I think it's important for every human being to understand the risks that every day of living creates.
I agree with Jill, it definitely is scary that we cant escape the deadly chemicals that surround us during our whole life. If we begin to understand the risks of our every day lives, we could live healthier lives and better understand our environment and how we could help it. If us humans don't understand these dangers, our environment could continue to get worse
In regards to Ryan's post, I agree. We use insecticides all the time, completely oblivious to its consequences. This just shows how unaware we are of what we're doing to ourselves and the environment
Following up on John's quote he selected, I think it's extremely concerning that us as humans are subject to deathly chemicals from the moment we are born. This makes me wonder if that could possibly have long or short term affects on children and if there is anything we can do to eliminate, or at least reduce these chemicals we are being exposed to.
Following up on John's quote he selected, I think it's extremely concerning that us as humans are subject to deathly chemicals from the moment we are born. This makes me wonder if that could possibly have long or short term affects on children and if there is anything we can do to eliminate, or at least reduce these chemicals we are being exposed to.
In response to Mackenzie, it also shocks me to think that there is really no solution to improving the environment. It would take lifetimes for people and other living organisms to adapt to this polluted Earth.
In response to Liz, I agree that many toxins enter our body without us knowing. Our bodies aren't able to adjust and fight off the unfamiliar chemicals, causing us to become sick.
In response to Cole, I completely agree that its outlandish to think that we haven't had the knowledge of how much of dangerous chemicals that we are breathing in and what kind of damage it's doing to our bodies. It's crazy to think they come from everyday things and organisms that we interact with on a day to day basis.
In response to Jill, I agree that humans need to fully understand the risks of simply living each day. The knowledge we have of some threats isn't great enough and there needs to be more or humans will continue to be at a greater risk.
In response to Liz D's post, I agree with her response as it is educated and makes sense with the passage she chose. The issue with chemicals withing a food source is a huge problem especially in milk because that is such a basic food source that many people use. This issue can effect so many people and once its in your system can be so harmful.
In response to Johnny B
I am 100% with you, where I live in an apple orchard where they used to use chemicals as pesticides, its hard to trust the apples from my own backyard. You'd think in the long run farms would make more money with less product and more customers as opposed to chemically diseased customers and chemically protected products.
"For the first time in the history of the world, every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals from the moment of conception until death (15).”
In this chapter, Carson describes the main and widely-used chemical poisons, but does so simply. Despite the contents being quite complex, Carson makes it easy for us to understand; however, when put so simply, it also becomes scary. This quote states the facts, puts it all out there for us to comprehend and in doing so, is powerful enough to frighten us. I think that when we read that this is the first time in history this is happening, we really begin to see the impact we’ve had. We can recall that there was in fact a time when this wasn’t the case, and long for that type of safer environment – hopefully compelling us to change and take the steps toward creating such a place again.
In response to Liz D:
Even though our human bodies are not necessarily built to properly sustain these unnatural and unhealthy changes, since this is exposure we are experiencing from the moment we are born, do you think we ever build up a tolerance to it and will eventually be able to endure more without significant risks? Since we are an ever-evolving species, maybe it will become less harmful over time.
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