They Said DDT "Improved Health in Man"

DDT was developed in the 1940s as a potent synthetic insecticide and was initially used both to control insects in crops and agricultural settings, as well as to combat diseases like malaria. However, by the late 1950s DDT's toxic effects on the ecology were brought to light and the U.S. Department of Agriculture took action to control its use. Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring had a huge role on publicizing the hazards of DDT and paving the way for a new environmental movement.

Many corporations continued to deny DDT's persistence in the environment and its toxic effects on ecology. As an example, today we highlight a memo from the Natural Agricultural Chemicals Association (NACA) sent on March 12, 1969. Their defense of DDT revolves around a galvanizing slogan presented by one of their ecologists, Dr. Donald A. Spencer:

"The enemy is the pest, not the pesticide."

This was a key strategy by proponents of DDT. They wanted to paint a world without DDT as the Dark Ages, where pests would overrun the world. Pesticides like DDT were synonymous with scientific progress, regardless of their side effects.

The NACA shifted focus from any potential helath effects of DDT to its economic benefits. It stated that banning DDT would have "crippling" effects on farmers as well as on the food supply chain, thus trying to portray a ban on DDT as one that served the elite. It accomplished this by equating a ban on DDT as a ban on pesticides in general, which was not the case; the conversation was not about whether pesticides were dangerous, but which ones.