[fogarty]

One thing to remember is that environmental and human toxicity issues aside, Carson also noted other flaws in using DDT indiscriminately. Among them, the growing resistance of the Anopheles mosquito (the primary vector for Malaria) to DDT. Following WWII DDT was used extensively in Italy by Allied troops. Within a span of years, resistance emerged in nearly every local mosquito strain. Italians were forced to return to fly-swatters and fly-traps.

So regardless of the human toxicity issue, there are serious problems in instituting DDT use worldwide. The campaign for malaria eradication was a failure not due to environmentalists (which Carson certainly was), but more due to the failure of mankind to understand the development of resistance to pesticides and resistance to anti-microbial agents. In fact, only one eradication campaign has seen 100% success: smallpox. Much like staph, which recently developed vancomycin resistance, we keep underestimating and misunderstanding the microbial world.

[Hank Kerchief]

... Carson also noted other flaws in using DDT indiscriminately. Among them, the growing resistance of the Anopheles mosquito ...

Of course, of course. DDT won't solve every human problem forever, so ban it world-wide, even if a couple millions lives might be spared otherwise. If we used DDT and save these lives, some mosquitoes might become DDT resistant ... but, if we're not using DDT anyway, what difference does it make? Well nothing, if you don't count people's lives, which environmentalists never do.

Hank