http://rachelwaswrong.org Uncovering Silent Spring's Deadly Consequences Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:09:00 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en RachelWasWronghttp://feedburner.google.com Led by groups like the Environmental Working Group (EWG), environmental activists continue in their crazy crusade to fight pesticide use of any kind, even when it serves important public health benefits. One such benefit involves making produce affordable by warding off pests that reduce yields and make fruits and ...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~4/H9o8qQTyGTQ" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~3/H9o8qQTyGTQ/ http://rachelwaswrong.org/2009/09/greens-not-so-peachy-advice/ Don’t let the bed bugs bite was always a frightening thought when I was a kid. But today, it’s even scarier since bed bugs are back. The origin of this phrase is grounded in history, going back to a time when tiny bugs would live in wooden bed ...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~4/4K4d_LO3lLQ" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~3/4K4d_LO3lLQ/ http://rachelwaswrong.org/2009/04/bed-bugs-bite/ Cultural myths often stand in the way of human progress—in some cases producing devastating consequences. In fact, today millions of people around the world suffer the painful and often deadly effects of malaria because one person sounded a false alarm. That person is Rachel Carson, author of the 1962 best ...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~4/FAOdB2j7eRA" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~3/FAOdB2j7eRA/ http://rachelwaswrong.org/2009/04/dangerous-legacy/ Anti-DDT activists in the environmental movement often suggest we should stop using this chemical to save people from malaria and other diseases because mosquitoes will eventually develop resistance to the substance. However, a study published in the journal PloS One explains why such arguments make no sense. The study demonstrates ...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~4/f6fG5TyRxxQ" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~3/f6fG5TyRxxQ/ http://rachelwaswrong.org/2007/08/no-excuse-for-resistence/ DDT-deniers—those who would rather let people die that allow DDT use to fight malaria-carrying mosquitoes—have been critiquing our blog posts on the topic. Last week they attacked us for highlighting recent scientific research that underscores the value of DDT in repelling mosquitoes. Apparently, they won’t even be swayed by scientific ...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~4/3dS9RpaT2hc" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~3/3dS9RpaT2hc/ http://rachelwaswrong.org/2007/08/ddt-deniers-deny-science/ Good news: Today's Wall Street Journal highlights the recent study on DDT benefits in repelling mosquitoes and battling resistance issues. Photo by One.org's photostream of Flickr. Caption: "USAID funded internal residual spraying with DDT to prevent malaria."<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~4/vptk2QrbgdQ" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~3/vptk2QrbgdQ/ http://rachelwaswrong.org/2007/08/getting-the-word-out/ Anti-DDT activists might read this with glee: Misinformation about DDT risks is undermining its use in Kampala, Uganda. A Ugandan news website reports that anti-DDT hype has led some people to block the spraying of their homes with DDT. This is clearly a tragedy as lives hang in ...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~4/X_TGNXttn8Q" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~3/X_TGNXttn8Q/ http://rachelwaswrong.org/2007/08/misinformationdangerous-results/ The July issue of National Geographic includes an excellent cover story on malaria. It notes: "Malaria is a confounding disease—often, it seems, contradictory to logic. ... Rachel Carson, the environmental icon, is a villain; her three-letter devil, DDT, is a savior ... In 1962 Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, documenting ...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~4/fryW5OdB_7A" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~3/fryW5OdB_7A/ http://rachelwaswrong.org/2007/07/national-geographic-on-malaria/ The Business and Media Institute reports that the greens are trying again to use the nation's national symbol—the Bald Eagle—to undermine free-markets. The Bald Eagle, which was recently removed from the Endangered Species list, faces another "dire" threat according to reports on NBC's Nightly news and other news outlets. This ...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~4/RQlzB6eYmwE" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~3/RQlzB6eYmwE/ http://rachelwaswrong.org/2007/07/sprawl-the-new-ddt/ ublic health conditions in their countries, rather than getting bamboozled by the NGOs and some western aid agencies. If leadership is not exercised, the present window of opportunity against malaria will once again be squandered, and the poor will be left to bear the burden of malaria.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~4/Vlm4nerzjgo" height="1" width="1"/> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RachelWasWrong/~3/Vlm4nerzjgo/ http://rachelwaswrong.org/2007/06/124/