1970 First Earth Day
1970 EPA established
1970 PCB production peaks in the U.S.
1971 Mrs. Penny Stone questioned her doctor as to whether DES had caused her daughter’s cancer, and after denials, the doctors finally decided to investigate. This led to the important publication finding that the daughters of DES treated mothers had an increased risk of a rare vaginal cancer. FDA recommended not prescribing DES during pregnancy, but did not ban it.
Herbst, A. L., Ulfelder, H., & Poskanzer, D. C. (1971). Adenocarcinoma of the vagina. Association of maternal stilbestrol therapy with tumor appearance in young women. The New England journal of medicine, 284(15), 878–881.
DES Action: Meet the Woman who was the First to Connect DES and Cancer.
1971 Dioxin sprayed on Times Beach and Missouri horse arenas. Chemical waste from a local factory was mixed with waste motor oil and sprayed as a dust-suppressant on the roads of Times Beach and in horse arenas. Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD) was later identified as the culprit that sickened humans and killed dozens of horses and many other animals at the horse arenas. The town of Times Beach was evacuated in 1983 and is now a “ghost town.”
Carter, C. D., Kimbrough, R. D., Liddle, J. A., Cline, R. E., Zack, M. M., Jr, Barthel, W. F., Koehler, R. E., & Phillips, P. E. (1975). Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin: an accidental poisoning episode in horse arenas. Science (New York, N.Y.), 188(4189), 738–740
1972 Lead found to affect IQ. Herbert Needleman, M.D. led pioneering studies providing first clear evidence that lead, even at very low levels, could affect a child’s IQ. Studies by other researchers established the role of low levels of lead in behavioral and neurological disorders. NIEHS support for continued research on the effects was key to establishing limits and, ultimately, bans on lead in gasoline and paint.
Needleman, H. L., Tuncay, O. C., & Shapiro, I. M. (1972). Lead levels in deciduous teeth of urban and suburban American children. Nature, 235(5333), 111–112.
1972 DDT banned for use in the U.S., a decision upheld by courts in 1973.
DDT Ban Takes Effect (EPA).