The power to kill

Photo by Kim Newburg

"These sprays, dusts, and aerosols are now applied 

almost universally 

to farms, gardens, forests, and homes - 

nonselective chemicals that have the power to kill 

every insect, the 'good' and the 'bad,' 

to still the song of birds
and the leaping of fish in the streams, 

to coat the leaves with a deadly film, 

and to linger on in soil - 

all this though the intended target may be only 

a few weeds or insects. 

Can anyone believe it is possible to lay down 

such a barrage of poisons on the surface of the earth without making it unfit for all life? 

They should not be called 'insecticides,' but 'biocides.'"

-- Rachel Carson, Silent Spring