What Does This Mean for Future Generations?

“The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell!” Our teachers began saying this as early as middle school. We have learned throughout our years of schooling that the body undergoes many functions to work properly and prevent illness from taking over. Society seems to ignore or forget these facts as they graduate and enter the working world. At least during the time Rachel Carson was alive, many people cared more about making money and creating an “advanced” society. When different pesticides and insecticides started to surface, many people were ignorant to the damage the chemicals were doing and many professionals just ignored the damage. In Through a Narrow Window, Rachel Carson describes how DDT can have an effect on the production of ATP, chromosomes, and fertility. All of these can be negative effects on human health.

An important problem that many people did not realize in the 50s and 60s, was that these effects on health that are caused by chemicals can appear in generations to come. People in our classrooms and our life could potentially be affected by chemicals in the past. It is a scary idea that the world we live in was not safe from the start due to actions that were taken by people and the government in the past. Along with the possibility for genetic health problems, we were born in a world that also contains many harmful carcinogens. These cancer causing chemicals are everywhere. Is anyone safe? Can we as a society fix what was done to the environment decades ago? There are many more people today who are aware of what is harmful to the environment and humans. Rachel Carson set the stage for chemical and environmental reform while dealing with her own personal struggles and societal struggles. If Carson can accomplish those important things, I have a lot of hope for our society to help protect the environment and generations to come.