Email Interview with Mr.

Keith Lindblom- February 12nd, 2015

Interviewer: What is your background in the chemical industry?
Lindblom: I am the manager for the American Chemical Societys
National Historic Chemical Landmarks program. I have worked at ACS
for the past six years, and before that I had not worked in chemistry.
Interviewer: What is DDT? What effects did it have on the
environment?
Lindblom: In order to understand DDT and its effects on the
environment, its helpful to look at the history of DDT, why it was
developed, and how it was used.
DDT (1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-di(4- chlorophenyl)ethane, also known
as dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane) is a potent insecticide.
It was developed during World War II to reduce the spread of
insect-borne diseases. For example, plagues of typhus hit Europe
during and after WWII because of poor sanitation, and soldiers in
the Pacific were susceptible to malaria because of the prevalence
of mosquitoes. DDT was effective at preventing the spread of
these and other diseases transmitted by insects, and it saved
countless lives during the war. (The man who discovered DDTs
effectiveness as an insecticide, Paul Muller, received a Nobel
Prize in 1948.)
After the war, DDT was used in the U.S. for multiple purposes.
Municipalities conducted annual sprayings of DDT in
neighborhoods, public parks and beaches to kill insects that were
thought to spread polio (the theory that insects spread polio was
later disproven). Agricultural interests applied DDT to crops to
increase domestic productivity (i.e. to prevent crop disease).
Household consumers were drawn to DDT because it promised to
remove pests from their daily lives.
Soon, DDT was everywhere (production leaped from 4,366 tons
in 1944 to 81,154 tons in 1963), and in many applications it was
used at levels that exceeded manufacturer recommendations.
People started to notice that animals other than insects were

found sick or dead in areas that had been treated with DDT.
(Carson gives many such examples in Silent Spring.) DDT was
found to accumulate in the environment and be harmful to a wide
range of animals.
Interviewer: How did the chemical industry view the environment
before Silent Spring? Were there any regulations on the environment
for companies?
Lindblom: Before Silent Spring, people in general understood the
effect of human impact on the environment poorly. Silent Spring seeded
important new ideas in the public mind: That spraying chemicals to
control insect populations can also kill birds that feed on dead or dying
insects. That chemicals travel not only through the environment, but
through food chains. That chemicals that dont outright kill can
accumulate in fat tissues causing medical problems later on, and that
chemicals can be transferred generationally from mothers to their
young. These ideas were supported by scientific research, but not all
scientists agreed and some dismissed such findings.
Interviewer: How did the chemical industry react to Silent Spring?
Were there any changes (morale, action, etc.) after its release?
Lindblom: There was a strong and negative response from chemical
industry upon the release of Silent Spring. I would speculate that there
were two major reasons. First, people assumed she was wrongthey
both disbelieved that the problem with DDT was serious and they
believed that they knew more than she did (Carson was known
primarily as a writer, not a scientist). Second, of course, was pure
businessCarsons beliefs posed a threat to pesticide sales.
Interviewer: Was Silent Spring a "turning point" for chemical
companies?
Lindblom: Silent Springs immediate impact was less a turning point
for chemical companies than it was for the public and government
leaders. People took note of Carsons book, and they adopted her

beliefs into an organized environmental movement. Government

leaders took Carson seriously. One of Carsons last public appearances
was during a congressional hearing about pesticide regulation and
research. It was pressure from the public and lawmakers that resulted in
a shift by chemical companies.
Interviewer: Did the chemical industry make reforms after the
publication of Silent Spring?
Lindblom: Reforms were passed by governments, and this resulted in
changes by chemical companies. The years following the controversy
over Silent Spring saw the establishment of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and the passage of numerous laws protecting the
environment and human health. DDT was banned domestically in 1972.
Public interest in the environment and human health continued, and this
also began to change how chemical companies operated.
Interviewer: Are those reforms still relevant today?
Lindblom: Since the publication of Silent Spring, the chemistry
discipline has grown to include green chemistrythe design,
development, and implementation of chemical products and processes
that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of substances hazardous
to human health and the environmentand a new role for chemists in
investigating the impact of human activity on the environment.
Scientists, policy makers, and the public now recognize and weigh
trade-offs of new technologies. Green chemistry, green energy, and
environmental chemistry have grown dramatically in importance to the
chemical enterprise.
The American Chemical Society recognized the impact of Rachel
Carsons Silent Spring on both society and the chemistry profession in a
ceremony in 2012 with Chatham University, Carsons undergraduate
college. The words of the plaque summarize Carsons legacy on the
environment and the chemistry field concisely. It reads:

Rachel Carsons Silent Spring, published in 1962, was a landmark in

the development of the modern environmental movement. Carsons
scientific perspective and rigor created a work of substantial depth and
credibility that sparked widespread debate within the scientific
community and the broader public about the effect of pesticides on the
natural world. These discussions led to new policies that protect our
air, our water, and, ultimately, our health and safety. Carsons book
promoted a paradigm shift in how chemists practice their discipline
and helped to establish a new role for chemists in investigating the
impact of human activity on the environment. The legacy of Silent
Spring continues today in the chemistry communitys increased focus
on green chemistry practices and the publics heightened support for
sustainability in all areas of our lives.