The Borgias were famous for getting rid of their enemies by poisoning their food or drink, Carson is alluding to our poisoning of the environment and how that ends up in our food through its travels in the food web. In reality we need to remember that we are surrounded by chemicals that can be harmful to our health from pesticides to household cleaners, flame retardants in furniture and carpets to paints and finishes. What Carson wanted most was to alert the public to the dangers of these pesticides and the need to use them wisely and safely.
What I found disturbing was her reference to the efforts of the American Medical Association in warning against the dangers of certain products (see page 175), which led me to wonder how many doctors had read this article and took it to heart to warn their patients? Again experts in the field would see the article but not the general public. Today are we any better at keeping up with the advances of science and warnings about the harm that some chemicals can have on our health or that of the environment?
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This is a difficult question to answer. There is often so much that the general population is completely unaware of, and with with advances in science, the chemical risks associated with newly developed household cleaners, flame retardant carpets and paints (etc.)are more often than not unknown to the consumer. I think that we are unaware of a lot of health hazards still, but I think we have a more developed understanding of health hazards than environmental hazards/
For some chemicals that are dangerous to the human body, things like household cleaners and paints, I think science has come a long way. Results of the negative effects these chemical have when they come into contact with human organs are written pretty clearly on bottles. The print is tiny sometimes, but there should still be some common sense left in our society that will help us determine whether something is good or bad for us.
But science has yet to really speak out against the common things we have invented and continue to use over time; including sugar, soda, and coffee. These things are made up of ingredients. But technically an ingredient is a chemical as well. Ingredient sounds more inviting than chemical so it is used to sell the product. But is there really much difference? I think information is being hidden from the common consumer. Just like ammonia or bleach, sugar and the ingredients found in soda and coffee are made of man-made chemicals. The difference is that a soda can doesn’t have a big skull on it. But it can do just as much damage to our bodies as other cleaners. Human nature seems to include ignoring what may be a problem until it actually becomes a problem. And I believe we are now seeing the problem with sugar stuffed foods and drinks today. Where can the line be drawn between a dangerous chemical and an ingredient? Or is there even a line to begin with?
I think science has come a very long way from the time that Carson was writing this book. However, the public is still unaware of many things that are dangerous to human health. Science is continuing to educate us about potential hazards and the public is still continuing to become more aware of it. Today, there are many warnings for products and chemicals that can be harmful to humans- it's mostly up to the humans to see them as problems.
I feel it is an individual’s responsibility to know what we are consuming or what we are surrounding ourselves with. Though many seem to be unaware of the harmful chemicals products can obtain, we have to realize that there are warning labels to make us aware of the harm it can cause. This just shows that the general population lacks in taking the time and effort to educate ourselves of the certain dangers that follow the use of chemicals.
Now we have the internet with social medias to spread news quickly. If someone shared a link about the dangers of the household items, then all their friends would see it and it could inform many people within hours. We have many more studies done than when this book was written; meaning that we know more about these chemicals. But that doesn't mean the public knows also, there should be labels on the bottles making it clear to the user what the dangers are and if it's all natural etc. We know more than we did over 50 years ago, but still not enough to have completely environmentally friendly cleaning products and paints.
I am honestly going to say no. I don't think doctors would pay much attention to this issue. It would be more of a quick fix medication if there was some side effect. But there is hope that further studies in the future will prove ways that we can avoid these products more efficiently and become less prone to their effects. I do wish the doctors would put more effort and research towards this because it's a concern and could be really detrimental in the long run.
I am honestly going to say no. I don't think doctors would pay much attention to this issue. It would be more of a quick fix medication if there was some side effect. But there is hope that further studies in the future will prove ways that we can avoid these products more efficiently and become less prone to their effects. I do wish the doctors would put more effort and research towards this because it's a concern and could be really detrimental in the long run.
I believe that today we are definitely better at keeping up with the advances of science and warnings because we are more aware of the things that are mainly affecting the environment and slowly those things are being worked on. I believe that it is very hard to eliminate these issues but they are definitely addressable and can be figured out in the near future. I dont believe its impossible to figure these things out especially with the advances the science and other departments are making. I think these issues may not be solved but the results certainly can be drastically impacted.
Today we have become at least "better" at slapping a warning label on things, but while being better means improvement it does not mean perfection. We will never be perfect at making everyone aware of everything, but we are doing fairly well. Setting aside the idea of chemicals in household cleansers for a moment, look how far we have become at warning people about cigarettes. There are commercials now showing what people who smoked cigarettes live-long now look like, and it is scary. Now that people know that cigarettes aren't just pure tobacco leaves and are instead chemical filled and cancer causing,the number of people who smoke them has gone down. Smoking one cigarette every oh-so often will not kill someone or cause illnesses, everything in moderation, and that is what Carson was getting at. Carson wasn't armed and ready to scrap the whole idea of pesticides. On the flip side, whenever I'm curious about something I Google it because I like to know whats going into my body. For example, our school sells "zero calorie" flavored Fruit water drinks. Reading down the label it said it had zero everything including sugar. I Googled it and discovered this so called "naturally flavored" fruit water was just stocked full of sucralose (Splenda) which is just as bad if not worse than sugar, and the only "vitamins" it was referring to on the front were a small amount of magnesium and zinc. Okay, so America doesn't say every detail straight out on the label which isn't reflecting on us well, but everything's online so why waste our resources? People who care enough (like me) would be willing to research, but there are others who do not care anyways.
In the past century, our awareness of how chemicals can affect our health and the environment have come a long ways, but really its how concerned we are with these health threats that is the issue. We have stopped using DDT to help the environment, and we now have a surgeons warning on cigarettes to spread awareness, but nonetheless people still use harmful chemicals despite the warnings. Gone are the days when chemicals and dyes were just dumped into a river near a mill, so to think in a positive mindset, we are on the right track. We still have a long ways to go until people recognize fully that the use of chemicals and cigarettes and other unhealthy habits can have a devastating toll on ourselves and the planet.
I do not believe that we are any better today at keeping up with the advances of science because it is the chemicals themselves (cleaning supplies, etc.) which have been disguised as technological advances and have been presented as being safe for our everyday use. It is no wonder that the common household is becoming a dangerous area, or that no one seems aware of the need to be cautious when using certain products because, as Carson explains, no one is warning people of the risks. Despite experts in the field being familiar with the hazards of these products, the knowledge is not being spread to the general public. The harm that some chemicals can have on our health or that of the environment is being ignored by those who have the most potential to educate others, and when it is available to the consumer, it’s often done by a small, out of sight message on the back where it goes unnoticed.
Furthermore, when people do take the time to research for themselves and become educated on the subject, not everything is being put out for you in plain sight. Information is often hidden from the common consumer under confusing, unpronounceable names of ingredients, etc. You can’t always be well-informed despite your best intentions or complete responsibility for yourself.
In response to Mackenzie Riel:
Although I’m sure everyone wishes that those who are capable would put more effort and research towards this issue and then clearly and concisely educate the public so that they could remain/become healthy, there is less money in being healthy… We know these issues could be detrimental in the long run, but that’s precisely why most information is not yet provided in an understandable format. Unfortunate as that is, doctor’s depend on people staying/becoming sick, products can’t always be made to last long or work spectacularly because then you wouldn’t buy more or try other merchandise, and so on. The public will always be unaware of many things that are dangerous to their health because although we are advanced in countless ways, there will always be more developments to come and there will always be forces like greed working against what’s best for the greater good.
It'll always be a constant battle between what the general public knows and what is known behind closed doors. However, even when we do gain access to this information, such as the warnings about chemicals, I think we're lazy. It always, unfortunately, takes a tragedy or a devastating event to act on something. At that point, however, due to the effects of chemicals, it's too late. I think we need to be a lot more consciences about our actions first hand rather than waiting for the consequences
I feel that people are more aware of what is going on, but they don't really care. Warning labels are plastered on bottles and cans of things many people use, and I feel that most people know that there are dangerous chemicals, feel as if they are one person, what they do doesn't really effect anything. They believe that their are other people working on this problem so they are all set. People are always content and comfortable until something big happens. Once people are effected in a big way, they listen, but by this time it is usually too late. I believe people won't change until something happens to really get their attention. How soon and how major this something is is unknown to me.
There is so many chemicals that we are not aware of out there. It is very unsafe for infants also, their bodys immune system is not as strong as our bodys (teenagers) so they are at a high risk of illness and maybe even death when these chemicals are put in the air. I remember reading something earlier this year in this class how some of the gasses or little peices of metal are flouting in the air and are very harmful and cause cancer to infants. Im sure it is the same thing with all of these chemicals flouting around. These new chemicals our bodys are not immune to them yet so I just thought that it is posible that these chemicals can cause cancer. We need to protect the enviornment also. These chemicals destroy injsects but also destroy other animals and plants/vegatation.
Chemical poisons are used in every corner of the house. From shelf paper treated with insecticides to lotions rubbed directly onto the skin to paint and varnish which comes pre-treated with poisons, the common household is becoming a dangerous area. No one is telling people of the dangers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture even encourages the use of insecticides in the home, urging people to spray their clothing with oil solutions of DDT, Dieldrin, Chlordane and other moth killers. I think it is extremely wrong for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to encourage the use of insecticides our homes because most people are unaware of the negative effects these insecticides could have on our health.
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