Editing Silent Spring (section)

=== Politics ===
At the time the book was written, environmental issues were excluded from mainstream political conversation in America.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carson |first=Rachel |title=Silent Spring |pages=348}}</ref> However, Carson believed that governments should consider what environmental impact a policy may have before implementing it; for example, in chapter 10 she describes a pesticide program from 1957 that was intended to control the spread of fire ants:<blockquote>With the development of chemicals of broad lethal powers, there came a sudden change in the official attitude towards the fire ant. In 1957 the United States Department of Agriculture launched one of the most remarkable publicity campaigns in its history. The fire ant suddenly became the target of a barrage of government releases, motion pictures, and government-inspired stories portraying it as a despoiler of southern agriculture and a killer of birds, livestock, and man. A mighty campaign was announced, in which the federal government in cooperation with the afflicted states would ultimately treat some 20,000,000 acres in nine southern states.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carson |first=Rachel |title=Silent Spring |pages=177}}</ref></blockquote>Despite calls from experts to consider the damage using the pesticides could bring to the environment, the Agriculture Department dismissed the objections and continued on with the program:<blockquote>Urgent protests were made by most of the state conservation departments, by national conservation agencies, and by ecologists and even by some entomologists, calling upon the then Secretary of Agriculture, [[Ezra Taft Benson|Ezra Benson]], to delay the program at least until some research had been done to determine the effects of heptachlor and dieldrin on wild and domestic animals and to find the minimum amount that would control the ants. The protests were ignored and the program was launched in 1958. A million acres were treated the first year. It was clear that any research would be in the nature of a post mortem.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carson |first=Rachel |title=Silent Spring |pages=180–181}}</ref></blockquote>After the program, an increased number of birds, cattle, horses and other wildlife were found dead in the areas where the pesticides had been sprayed.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carson |first=Rachel |title=Silent Spring |pages=181–185}}</ref> To make matters worse, the heptachlor and dieldrin sprayed accomplished nothing, instead creating more infested areas.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carson |first=Rachel |title=Silent Spring |pages=187}}</ref> Had the government researched the impact the chemicals could have on wildlife they could have prevented the deaths and environmental damage and saved the taxpayer's money.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carson |first=Rachel |title=Silent Spring |pages=186}}</ref> Overall, ''Silent Spring'' not only uncovered the many negative effects pesticides have on the environment but also asked for environmental issues to be discussed and treated seriously within the political sphere.