Back in 1962, Rachel Carson brought global attention to the dangers of the indiscriminate, uncontrolled spraying of pesticides and herbicides with her book Silent Spring. Carson's work set the stage for the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency (established in 1970), and a ban on the use of DDT in the US in 1972. Silent Spring also inspired the science of green chemistry. Practices have changed in the last 54 years, but how about on the state level, more specifically here in Texas? Keep in mind that this article is more of a rough sketch of present day standards.
Rachel Carson
In her book, Carson writes that rice growers, including those on the Texas gulf coast, were treating their crops with the chemicals aldrin and DDT, a practice that proved particularly lethal to pheasants, ducks and blackbirds. In Texas, pesticides severely reduced the population of tree ducks. Carson suggests that it was no coincidence that birds were killed along with the farmers' insect targets. She presents the possibility that rice growers may have been deliberately poisoning birds they found to be a nuisance. Today, the rice industry still insists that pesticides and avicides (bird killers) are essential for protecting crops, but the chemicals used in a way that is less destructive to the environment and human health, at least in theory. Rice growers in Texas commonly use Methyl parathion and malathion, which may not persist in the environment, but are still toxic and can interfere with liver enzymes if a person comes in contact with a combination of the two.
Rice field near Bay City, Texas
Another chapter of the book concerns the effects of insecticides on water and aquatic life. Carson tells the story of a massive fish kill found in the Colorado River near Austin in 1961. Investigators from the Texas Game and Fish Commission found traces of several dangerous chemicals, including the infamous DDT and benzene hexachloride that had been emptied into the sewers at a chemical plant. The sewers were then washed out and the residues were carried into Town Lake and the Colorado. The investigators predicted that the pollution would drastically reduce fish populations for years. Disasters like this tend to happen when manufacturers are left to their own devices. Since the 60s, pesticide waste disposal is more regulated at the federal and state levels, but even with these regulations, there still tend to be some oversights.
One of the most important lessons of Silent Spring is that we are part of a large, fragile system and carelessness is a danger to the entire system. Environmental regulations are important, but we can't rely on those alone. We need to be aware of our own personal responsibility for our surroundings.
