Science reviews David Kinkela's new book on DDT
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Podcast of interview with Dr. Kinkela about the book (posted by WRCT-FM, Pittsburg, PA)>> |
 Cover of DDT & The American Century |
By Christine Davis Mantai
A review of History Professor David Kinkela's new book, DDT and the American Century: Global Health, Environmental Politics, and the Pesticide That Changed the World (UNC Press, 2011) is one of two appearing in the Jan. 20, 2012 issue of the journal, Science.
Kinkela's book examines the controversy surrounding the manmade pesticide, DDT, which was first used in the 1940s to control malaria and typhus and later as a common agricultural insecticide. Its discoverer, Paul Herman Muller, won the Nobel Prize, but DDT was banned after Rachel Carson catalogued its environmental impact in Silent Spring.
The reviewer, Frederick R. Davis of Florida State University, writes, "This meticulous study reveals the many historical complexities of DDT use and clarifies the pesticide's role in U.S. global relations. While Kinkela wisely deflects questions regarding global malaria control today, his account will enrich debates surrounding the future of DDT."
The review, entitled "Deploying a Powerful Pesticide," states: "The global fight against malaria and the struggle to feed a rapidly growing global population served as critical elements of the arguments by DDT’s defenders. Even after ecological concerns drove the United States to ban DDT, pesticide use exploded overseas, with consequences for ecosystems and human health. Moreover, Kinkela argues, the U.S. action signaled a rejection of its global presence, which notably undermined belief in the American Century."
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