DDT was banned 10 years after Silent Spring was written (in 1972), and the ban had little to do with the opinions and conclusions of Rachel Carson.
The official story was that DDT buildup in the food chain over time was weakening the shells of bird eggs, including the bald eagle and falcons who ate a diet high in fish.
Bald eagles were listed as endangered species from 1973 until 2007.
"The alleged thinning of eggshells by DDT in the diet was
effective propaganda; however, actual feeding experiments
proved that there was very little, if any, correlation between DDT
levels and shell thickness"
Additionally, the EPA's own hearing from 1972 admits that there is no direct evidence of DDT having an adverse effect on bird populations: "There was no evidence that DDT was the only factor in a decline of bird populations, and examples given included pollutants, other pesticides than DDT, the advances of urbanization which brought human population changes and noise factors, and also disruption of the normal bird life by unnecessary intrusion" (Page 76 of the PDF).
DDT was banned 10 years after Silent Spring was written (in 1972), and the ban had little to do with the opinions and conclusions of Rachel Carson.
The official story was that DDT buildup in the food chain over time was weakening the shells of bird eggs, including the bald eagle and falcons who ate a diet high in fish.
Bald eagles were listed as endangered species from 1973 until 2007.
Yes, and that official story is false: https://www.jpands.org/vol9no3/edwards.pdf
"The alleged thinning of eggshells by DDT in the diet was effective propaganda; however, actual feeding experiments proved that there was very little, if any, correlation between DDT levels and shell thickness"
https://www.thenewatlantis.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy-pdfs/20120926_SweeneyDDTdecision.pdf
Additionally, the EPA's own hearing from 1972 admits that there is no direct evidence of DDT having an adverse effect on bird populations: "There was no evidence that DDT was the only factor in a decline of bird populations, and examples given included pollutants, other pesticides than DDT, the advances of urbanization which brought human population changes and noise factors, and also disruption of the normal bird life by unnecessary intrusion" (Page 76 of the PDF).
There was a noticeable increase in the raptor population where I live about 10 years after DDT was banned.