THE EAGLES FUTURE
EARLY WARNING
Endangered species serve as an early warning system for threatened ecosystems. Like the old miners'
practice of having a caged canary in the mine to warn of poisonous gases, endangered species protect
us by identifying problems that - like the canary in a coal mine - could be threats to human existence.
THE EAGLE AND YOU
The eagle was an indicator of the threat of DDT to human beings. It was discovered that DDT and other cancer
causing chemicals were being found in the breast milk of human mothers. The World Health Organization
estimated that the level at which chemicals such as DDT were being consumed by infants through breast milk
exceeded maximum daily permissible levels. If it were not for the almost extinction of the bald eagle, it might
have taken several more years to identify this dangerous chemical and the implications for human beings could
have been far more devastating. The bald eagle was an early warning of the threat of the poisonous chemical
DDT on humans. The banning of DDT and the protection under the Endangered Species Act brought the bald
eagle back from the brink of extinction and protected humans in the process.
The use of DDT pesticide is now outlawed in the United States (although still used in other parts of the world).
The question that should concern you is where does your food come from? If we don't eliminate these toxins,
effects will probably be subtle at first such as; deformed babies, stomach problems, or cancer.
PAST:
PRESENT:
FUTURE:
AND, FACTS:
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