10/1/2008 9:13:00 AM When environmentalists overreact
Mark Kilmer
Marc Kilmer
When I was a kid, my grandfather would often say as I headed to bed, "don't let the bedbugs bite."
I was always confused by that, never having experienced a bedbug.
I always assumed that, much like my grandfather's reference to "iceboxes," bedbugs were a thing that belonged to the past. But people throughout Ohio - and the nation - are finding that bedbugs are a real problem in some areas.
Their resurgence is a good lesson in just how well-intentioned government regulations can have very negative consequences.
For those happily unacquainted with these pests, bedbugs are just what you would think from their name - bugs that live in and around beds, feeding off the blood of sleeping humans. They do not transmit diseases, but they do cause itchy welts.
As I inferred as a youth, bedbug infestations were once quite a big deal.
There were few effective ways to eradicate these bugs before modern pesticides were introduced in the middle of last century. DDT was very useful in eliminating bedbugs, and by the 1950s, the U.S. population of bedbugs had pretty much disappeared.
Now, however, they are back.
The Ohio State University has reported an outbreak. From news reports, it seems that Cincinnati is overrun with these bugs.
Other colleges and cities are reporting similar infestations, with New York City seeing an especially severe resurgence.
There was recently legislation introduced in the Ohio Legislature to recognize the problems posed by bedbugs and provide funds to deal with it.
For those of you familiar with the history of the DDT in the United States, this re-emergence of bedbugs should be no surprise.
After Rachel Carson published her emotionally-resonant yet scientifically-flawed book "Silent Spring," DDT's use in the U.S. was banned.
Since DDT was responsible for the disappearance of bedbugs in our nation, it was only a matter of time before they came back.
DDT was certainly misused during its heyday. There are problems that come with the overuse of any chemical and DDT is no exception.
But the problems supposedly caused by DDT were overblown and it is being used safely in other areas of the world to this day. It was banned, not based on good science, but due to an emotional reaction caused by a talented writer.
Because of this ban, we are now facing problems like bedbugs which should not be an issue in this day and age.
While it may be a nice dream to think we can live in a world without man-made chemicals, the reality is that these chemicals have made our lives better if we use them properly.
Trying to eliminate their use ensures that we will continue to see problems like bedbugs plague us. As has been illustrated often in the past, legislators often deal with these issues based not on science but on public perception. This public perception is often wrong.
Other pesticides can fight bedbugs. They have been used with varying success since the banning of DDT.
But bedbugs become resistant to certain pesticides, making them difficult to control.
Those who work to control these pests should be allowed to have a wide range of options to deal with them. Unfortunately, our government prevents this from happening.
The lesson of what can happen when environmentalists overreact is at the heart of the DDT story. The people in Cincinnati and throughout Ohio and the nation who are now encountering bedbugs are a living - if itchy - lesson to all of us. Environmental hysteria should not deprive us of the tools we need to improve our lives.
Marc Kilmer is a policy analyst with the Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions, a research and educational institute located in Columbus.
Reader Comments
Posted: Monday, October 13, 2008
Article comment by:
Steven Bradford
I live in a 157 unit section 8 apartment building for the elderly and disabled. For the last few years we have been dealing with an infestation of bed bugs. The pesticides they are using only chase them from one unit to the next unit. It has been a losing battle for us and we are not finding relief even though the bug people spray once every week in selected apartments, thereby chasing the bug to other units that were already sprayed. The bugs are playing musical chairs, but using apartments for the game. It is my belief that the only way to combat these effectively is to inject into the walls DDT. I am sure this is their mode of escape from one unit to another. I don't see how this would have an impact on the environment. DDT use needs to be allowed for responsible use, or these bed bugs will take over our nation. They may not transmit disease directly, but I can make a case for indirect disease caused by the scratching of the bites and the following possible infections that could set in. I wish I knew how we could petition Congress, or other appropriate agency, to allow for a return of responsible DDT usage to combat the dreaded bed bug population explosion.
Posted: Sunday, October 05, 2008
Article comment by:
Sam Bryks
I am an entomologist who deals with pest issues every day. Bed bugs are a top priority. This article is full of innuendo and misrepresentations of the facts.
Fact: DDT did have serious detrimental impact on the enviroment. We are at the top of the food chain and when a product starts to appear in predators such as eagles and in human breast milk (FACTS), then concerns are real, not imagined.. The talented writer was Rachel Carson and she was a Professor of Biology and she was in Time's list of most important people in the twentieth century. Yes, DDT is used in other parts of the world for mosquito control to help prevent malaria, but it is used in very careful ways such as in mosquito netting. The problem with bed bugs is certainly due in part to the change in pesticide patterns, but not DDT in particular. Bed Bugs had high resistance to DDT by the 50's and 60's as did mosquitoes.
we are in a new age to reduce toxins in the environment and what place to start but the home environment. That is why so many products are banned.. The solution lies in sensible prevention and in use of Integrated Pest Management. This article reeks of right wing conservatism. It is not based on facts or reality or logic.
it takes 'brains" and common sense to fight bed bugs. not alarmist reactinary conservatism. I suppose global warming isn't happening either?
And of course cigarettes don't cause cancer...
