Rachel Carson in the United States
Carson, Rachel (1907-1964) in Environmental Law
Aquatic biologist and author of four books, including Silent Spring, the book credited with starting the modem environmental movement. In Silent Spring, Carson argues that pesticide use, notably DDT applications, had far-reaching effects on the food chain. By the time Carson wrote her warnings, some birds were in danger of extinction due to the thinning of their eggshells caused by ingesting DDT. Because of the wide distribution of Silent Spring, international awareness of the dangers of pesticide persistence in the environment increased until, in 1972, DDT was banned in the United States and in many other countries. The first major revision of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act was enacted that year as well. Carson’s work is thought to have brought about these changes.