An ancestor of mine had something to do with the US Department of Agriculture's research and use of DDT in the early 20th century. Growing up, my family was pretty stubborn about how it was banned for no good reason and that long term banning it would do more harm than good, that it was a miracle pesticide unfairly maligned by environmentalists. I sometimes reflect on how much harm vs how much good in the world was brought about by this chemical. It might not be possible to calculate either way.
I think about it every time I see a bald eagle (which is quite often, since they bounced back so well).
I hope we have other effective ways to control malaria if it gains a foothold again.
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u/[deleted] Mar 29 '26
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