In 1962, Silent Spring sparked a violent summer storm in the U.S., as Rachel Carson’s beautifully written assault on the effects of widespread chemical spraying raced up the bestseller lists. Carson, already ill with the breast cancer that would kill her two years later, faced a furious chemical-industry counter-campaign, complete with lawsuits and the sexist insults so casually tossed about in her time. The FBI investigated her as a potential Communist agent out to disrupt the national food chain. A former government marine biologist, Carson had no financial backing or institutional support, but she did have credibility as a well-known and gifted writer on natural history. Public opinion, already alarmed by spraying programs, swung decisively to her side.
Macleans.ca – Science – Environment | Was Rachel Carson wrong?
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