Clashing Views on Environmental Issues by Thomas A. Easton
If you want to expand your knowledge of public and environmental health, I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book. It's a very interesting look at conflicting opinions of some of the environmental hot topics we will cover in this course. It was also my inspiration for this week's discussion board assignment.
ASSIGNMENT:
I would like for each of you to pick a side on the issue below. Then find some current studies or articles that support your opinion. There are no right or wrong answers to these but remember you should be searching for quality sources to support your argument. Start a thread under Discussion Board #2. Tell us which side you chose and discuss why you chose it. Please provide references to your sources and/or links to the article (or articles) that support your position. You should have at least 2 cited sources.
THE ISSUE:
Chapter 5 of our book (which you should have read this week) covers Zoonotic and Vector-Borne Diseases. One of the first vector-borne diseases covered by the book is malaria. As outlined in the book, malaria is a disease that is spread by mosquitos carrying the parasite and up to 40% of the world's population is at risk for contracting this devastating and often fatal disease. Historically, malaria has been controlled with the use of pesticides such as DDT. In fact, malaria was endemic to the United States until the 1940's when an anti-malaria campaign began that involved spraying homes with DDT, which successfully eliminated the disease. However, as research began to emerge about the harmful effects of these pesticides (particularly DDT) on humans and the environment, more and more scientists argue that we should look for alternative methods of malaria control and prevention. DDT is now banned in the US except for limited use, and some even argue that we should completely ban the use of DDT worldwide because it is harmful to both humans and the environment.
CHOOSE YOUR SIDE:
Side A: Should we completely ban the use of DDT (and similar pesticides) worldwide in favor of alternative methods of malaria control and prevention
OR
Side B: Should we continue to allow use of DDT because it has been shown to be so effective at eliminating malaria.
Has the recent media coverage about the spike in cases of the Zika virus (like malaria, Zika is a disease transmitted by mosquitos), the potential for it to become prevalent in the U.S. and the devastating birth defects believed to be linked to the virus influenced your opinion on the use of pesticides? Did it make you more likely or less likely to be in favor of pesticide use?