Editing Silent Spring (section)

{{Short description|Book by Rachel Carson about pesticides harming the environment.}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Infobox book |
| name = Silent Spring
| image = SilentSpring.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Cover of the first edition
| author = [[Rachel Carson]]
| cover_artist =
| country = United States
| language = English
| subjects = {{hlist | [[Pesticide]]s | [[ecology]] | [[environmentalism]]}}
| published = September 27, 1962 ([[Houghton Mifflin]])
| media_type = Print (hardcover {{·}} paperback)
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
}}
'''''Silent Spring''''' is an [[environmental science]] book by [[Rachel Carson]].<ref name=McLaughlin>{{cite web |author=McLaughlin, Dorothy |title=Fooling with Nature: ''Silent Spring'' Revisited |work= [[Frontline (American TV program)|Frontline]] |publisher= WGBH, PBS |url= https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/nature/disrupt/sspring.html |access-date=August 24, 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100310174306/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/nature/disrupt/sspring.html |archive-date=March 10, 2010 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Published on September 27, 1962, the book documented the environmental harm caused by the indiscriminate use of [[DDT]], a [[pesticide]] used by soldiers during World War II. Carson accused the [[chemical industry]] of spreading [[disinformation]], and public officials of accepting the industry's [[marketing claim]]s unquestioningly.

In the late 1950s, Carson began to work on environmental [[conservation (ethic)|conservation]], especially environmental problems that she believed were caused by [[Synthetic chemical|synthetic]] pesticides. The result of her research was ''Silent Spring'', which brought environmental concerns to the American public. The book was met with fierce opposition by chemical companies, but it swayed public opinion and led to a reversal in US pesticide policy, a nationwide ban on [[DDT]] for [[Agriculture|agricultural uses]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://iaspub.epa.gov/trs/trs_proc_qry.navigate_term?p_term_id=6719&p_term_cd=TERM |title=DDT |publisher= [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]]| website= epa.gov| location= US |access-date=November 4, 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071022152858/http://iaspub.epa.gov/trs/trs_proc_qry.navigate_term?p_term_id=6719&p_term_cd=TERM |archive-date=October 22, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and an [[environmental movement]] that led to the creation of the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|US Environmental Protection Agency]].<ref name=CarsonPaull>{{cite journal| last= Paull| first= John | date= July–September 2013| url= http://orgprints.org/22934/7/22934.pdf| title= The Rachel Carson Letters and the Making of ''Silent Spring''| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20131103230258/http://orgprints.org/22934/7/22934.pdf |archivedate=2013-11-03 |work= Sage Open| number= 3 | pages= 1–12| access-date= | via= orgprints.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine| last= Glausiusz| first= Josie |date= November 2007| title= Better Planet: Can A Maligned Pesticide Save Lives?| work= Discover| page= 34| url= }}</ref>

In 2006, ''Silent Spring'' was named one of the 25 greatest [[science book]]s of all time by the editors of [[Discover (magazine)|''Discover'' magazine]].<ref name="discovermagazine.com">{{cite journal |title=25 Greatest Science Books of All Time |magazine=Discover |date= December 8, 2006 |url= https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/25-greatest-science-books-of-all-time |access-date=2008-10-08 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090129181222/http://discovermagazine.com/2006/dec/25-greatest-science-books/article_view?b_start:int=1&page=2 |archive-date=2009-01-29 |url-status=live }}</ref>