Chapter 1004 A Bucket of DDT
"Xiao, do you know this thing?" Yubu and his group asked Xiao Peng.
Xiao Peng was still untying the secretary bird in the back, and he was busy and flustered.
The Secretary Bird's aggressiveness was no exaggeration. As soon as Xiao Peng approached it, its beak struck him like lightning. It was fast enough, but Xiao Peng was even faster. Now Xiao Peng was busy holding its beak with one hand and untying it with the other.
Seeing this, Yubu took out his dagger and cut the rope with one stroke: "This knife is really good!"
He didn't give the Secretary Bird to Xiao Peng for free, but rather exchanged it: the main method here was barter. He had his eye on the dagger that Xiao Peng carried with him, and Xiao Peng used a dagger to exchange for the Secretary Bird.
His taste was quite good. Xiao Peng's dagger was a Type 99 umbrella-handled dagger. It was particularly well-suited for outdoor use. The blade could be used for chopping, slicing, and sawing. It also contained tools like a whistle, a whetstone, a compass, a bottle opener, a can opener, a screwdriver, and a ruler. Yubu fell in love with the dagger the moment he laid eyes on it, and so offered to trade the secretary bird for it.
There are no fools in this world!
Xiao Peng didn't care about the dagger; he still had several more in his car. Secretary vultures weren't easy to come across, even in Africa, so he decided to save it. It would be fine if he didn't encounter one, but if he did, it would be fate. If he got caught, there would be nothing he could do.
Xiao Peng released the secretary bird and came to what Yubu mentioned.
"Huh?" It was a sealed metal barrel. About the same size as a gasoline barrel, but its appearance looked more refined.
Youbu explained: "We found this when we were fishing. It's in the Casamance River, about ten kilometers downstream from here. There are still many there, but some have been opened and are empty."
"Run so far?" Xiao Peng muttered, carefully examining the metal barrel. It had been at the bottom of the river for who knew how long. It was already covered in rust.
A Sheler said, "Yubu, why bother? Just open it as I say!"
This Cheryler is called Aruba, a Cheryler fisherman who is very good at sea fishing: Although they are all Cheryler fishermen, in fact, most of them are still accustomed to fishing in the Casamance River. Fishing in the river is much easier than fishing in the sea.
Yubu shook his head and said, "No, we need to check it carefully."
Xiao Peng saw a metal label on the bucket. He wiped off the rust and took a look at it, his brow furrowed. "Oh my God!"
"What's wrong?" Yubu asked nervously.
Xiao Peng asked, "Did you have a chemical plant here?"
"Chemical plant?" Yubu was stunned, then thought for a moment and said, "So there's a chemical plant here run by Americans, but we don't know what it produces. How did you know?"
Xiao Peng took a deep breath and said, "It's best not to touch the contents of this bucket. It contains DDT."
Yubu and others were stunned after hearing this.
Aside from the Nobel Peace Prize, which is a joke, and the Literature Prize, which has some tainted reputation, the rest of the science categories are generally quite reliable. However, there are also taints, such as the "brain-chopping" award in the Medicine Prize, and DDT (whether DDT is actually a taint is still debatable).
DDT is an insecticide invented by Swiss chemist Muller in 1939. At the time, it was considered a god-level product that was harmless to humans, highly effective in killing insects, and inexpensive! Muller won the Nobel Prize in 1948 for this invention.
(PS, in fact, it is recorded that in 1874, the Viennese physician Osmar synthesized DDT, but because he did not investigate the chemical properties of this substance and did not understand its function and value, the hat of the inventor of DDT still fell on Muller's head)
DDT was indeed harmful to humans, but why was it considered harmless? This is a relative statement. Most effective pesticides of the era were highly toxic, such as arsenic compounds. Even Müller's own childhood friend died from eating fruits and vegetables sprayed with arsenic compounds. Compared to arsenic compounds, DDT was a relative benefactor.
DDT was so effective at killing insects that yields on farmland treated with DDT increased by nearly 60% compared to before DDT was used. During that period, people not only used DDT on farmland but also on the streets with spray trucks and even used helicopters to spray DDT from the air over entire cities.
In 1959, oceanographer Rachel Carson received a letter from a friend reporting the significant impact of DDT on birds. She decided to investigate. Carson discovered that while DDT wasn't an acute poison that would cause immediate death upon contact, its chemical composition was too stable to break down, allowing it to bioaccumulate into the human body. For example, trace amounts of DDT in lake water could increase in concentration 8.33 million times when it enters the human mouth through the food chain. Once inside, DDT is stored in fat cells, causing adverse reactions and potentially even causing cancer.
In 1962, Carson wrote a book about his findings, titled "Silent Spring," advocating for a reduction in pesticide use. This caused a huge uproar, especially during the then-presidential period in the United States. Considering public anti-DDT sentiment, Kennedy, keen to secure his re-election campaign, played up the environmental message and opposed DDT, resulting in a surge in public support. However, before he could celebrate, he was assassinated. His successor, Nixon, employed the same tactics, announcing a complete halt to DDT production and use in 1972. Under his leadership, DDT was banned worldwide. From receiving a Nobel Prize to being banned worldwide, DDT took only 25 years.
After hearing Xiao Peng say that this was DDT, Youbu was a little skeptical: "Xiao, is there really DDT in this?"
Xiao Peng nodded and said, "If the label is correct, it is DDT."
Yub asked hurriedly, "Is this DDT still effective?"
Xiao Peng said truthfully, "DDT is famous for its stable structure and difficulty in decomposition. Even now, it's still ubiquitous on Earth, and it will remain there for a long time. If it's indeed DDT, then it should still be effective!"
Yubu and the others suddenly cheered excitedly. They spoke in their native language, and no one knew what they were talking about, but Xiao Peng seemed to know what they were talking about.
"Xiao..." Just as Youbu was about to speak to Xiao Peng, Xiao Peng waved his hand and said, "I'm sleepy. I won't go!"
Yu Bu was stunned for a moment, then said to Xiao Peng: "You know what I'm going to say! Okay, you rest here and we'll go there by ourselves!"
After that, the group of people sang and left the village.
Xiao Peng watched them leave and suddenly felt that all interest had gone. He returned to his tent, lit a cigarette and stared blankly.
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