This is a detailed history of the use of DDT and the battles among scientists， politicians， publicists， and people being sprayed against their will regarding its uses。 A little too detailed at times， such as describing factories where it was manufactured。 Fascinating facts at other times—I didn’t know that DDT had been sprayed to kill flies because some thought flies caused polio。 And in an example of how everyone has an opinion， others claimed DDT caused polio。 General tactics from these past b This is a detailed history of the use of DDT and the battles among scientists， politicians， publicists， and people being sprayed against their will regarding its uses。 A little too detailed at times， such as describing factories where it was manufactured。 Fascinating facts at other times—I didn’t know that DDT had been sprayed to kill flies because some thought flies caused polio。 And in an example of how everyone has an opinion， others claimed DDT caused polio。 General tactics from these past battles are listed which are obviously still being used in public debate: distract， discredit， distort， disrupt， and deny。 There is mention of Rachel Carson and wildlife of course， and possible human health effects of DDT and other pesticides。 My attention was drawn to mention of how pesticides and the timing of exposure to them can affect the endocrine system and sexual development， and though the book doesn’t propose it， I wondered if that and the accumulation of these chemicals in our bodies may be related to the gender issues which have become more common in recent years。At heart， DDT is just one example of the biggest failure of modern civilization—acting for short term benefit and profit， with ignorance and indifference to the long-term effects on the planet and ourselves。Thanks to PublicAffairs and NetGalley for the advance copy to review。 。。。more