Thursday, June 22, 2023

Arsenate of Lead a Popular Insecticide in 1923

Some people distrust modern agriculture, particularly the chemicals used today. Well, Arsenate of Lead was a popular pesticide from 100 years ago. Notice that you can pick up a tobacco sprayer at H.C. Taylor Hardware to apply Arsenate of Lead to your tobacco crop. Smokers enjoyed that tobacco and the arsenic and lead they inhaled with every puff. Arsenate of Lead was also used on food crops. It weas introduced in 1898 to replace Paris Green, another arsenic formulation that was about ten times more toxic than Arsenate of Lead. Researchers looking for a safer alternative discovered DDT. Today’s pesticides are less toxic than either but can still cause problems, particularly when they are misused. Researchers continue to search for safer and more effective chemicals.

Advertisements from pages 2 and 8 in the Franklin Times, Louisburg, N.C., Friday, June 22, 1923

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