DDT Wars: Rescuing Our National Bird, Preventing Cancer, and Creating EDF

During the 1950s and 60s, scientists began to question the widespread use of DDT, a pesticide used indiscriminately for agricultural purposes because of its efficiency in killing insects. Researchers were discovering that contact with the chemical was leading to the decline of many species of predatory birds, and was a major factor in causing cancer and reproductive defects in humans. DDT was affecting ecosystems in both the Arctic and Antarctic, and was contaminating countless species of animals by working its way up the food chain. In 1962, Rachel Carson famously wrote about the plight in Silent Spring, and in 1972, the Environmental Protection Agency banned the substance. The road to banning DDT, however, was far from straightforward. The grassroots movement, which was led by a group of ten scientists who created Environmental Defense Fund, was opposed early and often by various corporations and political groups. These groups claimed that EDF was based on "junk science," and that its founding scientists were simply radicals. One of these scientists was Charles Wurster, and in DDT Wars Wurster gives us the story of the many scientific and legal maneuvers EDF made in order to have DDT banned from legal use as a pesticide. Many issues swirled as the battle waged: was DDT's use in controlling malaria in ravaged countries a reason not to ban it as a pesticide? And what legal precedents would be set, once the substance was banned? Wurster breaks down the multifaceted battle from start to finish, showing us the crucial turning points and the many ramifications of EDF's victory. Though its existence was threatened early on, Environmental Defense Fund's fiftieth anniversary is approaching, and the organization has now morphed into a leader on many different environmental activist fronts. DDT Wars is the dramatic story of the original issue that EDF was founded to fight, and is one of the strongest examples we have of grassroots environmentalism affecting positive change.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1. A Robin With Uncontrollable Convulsions Chapter 2. Sue the Bastards on Long Island: The Power of an Idea Chapter 3. Proceed With Caution, Then Sue the Bastards in Michigan Chapter 4. On to Wisconsin, the Dairy State Chapter 5. EDF, Barely An Organization, Getting Its Act Together Chapter 6. EDF Diversifies Into New Environmental Arenas Chapter 7: Time to Go after the Feds Chapter 8. Escalating the DDT Issue with More Court Cases Chapter 9. Important Changes in Washington Affect the DDT Battle Chapter 10. DDT Goes To Trial, Finally, in Washington, DC Chapter 11. EPA Administrator Ruckelshaus Decides Chapter 12. Several Encores: Five More Bad Actors Were Dispatched Chapter 13. The DDT Wars: Four Great Victories EPILOGUE - The Last Word, President Fred Krupp

About the Author :
Charles F. Wurster is a founding member of the Environmental Defense Fund and Professor Emeritus of Environmental Sciences, State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Review :
"Terrific book! Charlie Wurster's first-person account of the banning of DDT, with its many lasting benefits, vividly captures the mixture of careful science and seat-of-the-pants grassroots activism that launched the modern environmental movement. It is invigorating to be reminded of the audacity of those who set out to change the world without money, legal precedent, or meaningful political support -- and succeeded! --Denis Hayes, Organizer of the first Earth Day in 1970 and co-author of COWED: The Hidden Impact of 93 Million Cows on America" "A gripping firsthand account of the start of environmental public interest law and the early struggles with the ubiquitous application of DDT. Wurster provides a vivid sense of what it took to be an environmental pioneer: giant steps that should never be taken for granted or forgotten." --Thomas E. Lovejoy, University Professor of Environmental Science and Public Policy, George Mason University "DDT Wars reads like the stuff of fiction. But it's true. In the 1960s, a rag tag group of scientists and lawyers sue some of the nation's most powerful industries for violating environmental laws that don't yet exist. Yet, they won. First, in courts. Next in agencies. And, finally in Congress. What began as close to legal bluffing, fueled by personal courage and compelling science, ultimately helped catalyze the creation of modern environmental law in the United States. It is a story well worth remembering as seemingly insurmountable obstacles hinder our ability to address our greatest environmental challenge ever -- climate change." --Richard J. Lazarus, Howard J. & Katherine Aibel Professor of Law, Harvard Law School and Author of The Making of Environmental Law (2004) "This is an especially appropriate time for DDT Wars to be published, as scientists are beginning to realize that the poisoning of Earth may be as serious a problem as climate disruption. This is the story of the first legal success in stopping the spread of one of the toxic synthetic compounds that threatened the birds of the world and triggered Rachel Carson to write SILENT SPRING. Its author another hero of mine who was deeply involved in that victory, and the book takes me back to the days when we hoped the legal system could be used to avoid environmental catastrophe." --Paul R. Ehrlich, co-author of THE DOMINANT ANIMAL A "vital account." --Publisher's Weekly "[Wurster's] account of the passion and determination of those involved in the DDT wars provides a compelling and inspirational illustration of the power of individuals to change the world." --The Seattle Times "Though this is the next generation's battle, Wurster points out that there are lessons to be learned from the DDT wars. It's this connection that makes Wurster's book such a timely and relevant read-the story may be old, but the means of battle-and the passion required for such a crusade-are still alive."--Audubon "[A] fascinating account of the history of the EDF... Combining important details about the EDF with intriguing anecdotes, DDT Wars is both a historical walk through the US's environmental past and a rallying cry to those concerned about the world today. Highly recommended." --CHOICE "Charles Wurster, scientist and a founding member of the Environmental Defence Fund, is a legend of the environmental movement. When reading this book, it feels as if one were in his living room listening to him recount the story of how DDT was banned and the environmental movement took shape. ... Many tense scenes keep one's interest, and the book's powerful stories could change the way people think about and act in favor of nature." --Conservation Biology "This is a breathless, fascinating, and authentic account of the origin and flowering of the Environmental Defense Fund... Read this book. You will see how individual initiative, small group cooperation, great vision, and good old American knowhow lead to the sort of success of which we can be proud." --The Quarterly Review of Biology "Wurster is to be commended for this excellent history of an important period when some of our most iconic birds seemed to be on the way out. Highly recommended." --American Birding Association Blog