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50 Years After Silent Spring:  Minnesota’s St. Louis River Showcases Environmental Success and Challenge

August 2012

In 1962, when Rachel Carson wrote about the impacts of DDT in her landmark book Silent Spring, many people were skeptical of her warning that future years might bring spring without birds’ songs.  How could a product that was so widely used be so dangerous?  Today, Carson’s counterparts are asking the same question about products that we use every day. 

Following in Carson’s footsteps, the Environmental Contaminants program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is conducting an “early warning” investigation looking at contaminants whose effects are widely used, not well known, and currently unregulated. These substances, called Contaminants of Emerging Concern, tend to be contemporary, but may also include more traditional chemicals (such as some pesticides) that have altered releases or new detections in the environment. Some CECs include hormones and pharmaceuticals, as well as herbicides and pesticides. 

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Silent Spring 50th Anniversary Essay Series