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A SYMPOSIUM ON PEST CONTROL AND WILDLIFE RELATIONSHIPS INTRODUCTION W. H. Larrimer National Academy of SciencesâNational Research Council Since as far back as biblical times man has been plagued by pests of one kind or another â insects, diseases, weeds and other plants and animals that take their toll of the products of farm, forest and range and threaten the health and welfare of man him- self. Over the years man has fought back, winning here and losing there. During World War II a tremendous advantage was gained in the development and use of the insecticide, DDT, for the control of pests and disease vectors of concern to the armed forces and civi- lians alike. By the widespread use of this one insecticide literally millions of lives have been spared and hundreds of millions of people have escaped diseases without one known case of serious toxic effects. * ^Knipling, E. F. in Nature and Fate of Chemicals Applied to Soils, Plants, and Animals, Agricultural Research Services, U. S. De- partment of Agriculture, Sept. 1960, p. 28: "... Yet this insecti- cide has been applied as a 10% dust inside the clothes of hundreds of millions of men, women, and children by military and public health officials, and has been applied as residual sprays in as many homes without one known case of serious toxic effects to individuals exposed to such intimate insect control practices. As a result literally niillions of lives have been spared and hundreds of mil- lions of people have escaped diseases. "
The impetus created by this remarkable success carried over into the post-war development of a vast array of the newer pesti- cidesâ the chlorinated hydrocarbons and the organic phosphates. Unfortunately, some of these newer pesticides were put into use before they had anything like the careful testing given to DDT and that now is considered essential. It is little wonder that some mis- takes have been made in the development and use of these new pesti- cides and that wide differences of opinion exist as to their effective- ness and safety. Here we have inevitably a conflict of interest. Because of the highly controversial nature of this situation the National Academy of SciencesâNational ResearchCouncil was urged to establish a committee on Pest Control and Wildlife Relationships. Such a committee was appointed in May 1960. At its first meeting, June 14, 1960, the following statement of objectives was developed: 1. To provide technical advice and guidance to government agencies, industries, and other public and private organizations and individuals on problems involved in the maximum control of pests with a minimum of damage to other forms of plant and animal life. 2. To provide critical evaluation of information concerning the effects (direct and indirect) of various pest control operations on plants and animals, particularly fish and wildlife. 3. To stimulate and encourage research and investigations to obtain factual information as a basis for sound guiding princi- ples and policy determinations. 4. To foster cooperation among various agencies, organiza- tions, industries, and individuals concerned withpest control opera- tions and the effects on plant and animal life. 5. To provide a forum for the discussion of problems of pest control and wildlife relationships. The main committee and three subcommittees are now in the midst of the evaluation of available information and the preparation of reports on the various phases of the problem. These studies have not yet reached the stage in which sound conclusions and recom- mendations can be made available. However, this symposium has been organized as one of the ways to provide a forum for the dis- cussion of the problems of pest control and wildlife relationships.
