Finally, she asked that scientists redouble their efforts to find alternative methods for fighting pests, such as biological controls, so that the flow of deadly poisons into the environment might be restricted. Despite the initial flood of hostile criticism, Carson's argument had stood the test of time. As early as 1963, President Kennedy's Science Advisory Committee substantially supported her position that pesticides were being misused in this country. Laws and regulations have been tightened, and most of the chemicals whose use she criticized have been banned. Her investigation of the threatened roots of life was so profound, and her voice so eloquent, that her message carried beyond the specific problem of pesticide use.
Serious questions remain about the long-term effects of environmental contaminants on life.
Despite many changes for the good, Americans now apply more than twice the amount of pesticides they did before Silent Spring was published, and totals also are increasing around the world. But the dialogue about the benefits and hazards of their use will never be quite the same. Frank Graham, Jr. is author of Since Silent Spring , an account of the impact of Rachel Carson's book. He also is author of a book on water pollution, Disaster by Default .