In the 1970s, thousands of deaths were caused in Japan, India and Italy by the release of pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, and organic compounds of mercury due to chemical plant explosions and discharges. From then on, the warnings about pesticides and other chemicals in the environment given by American author Rachel Carson in her 1960s book Silent Spring could no longer be written off as sensationalism.
一九七○年代之後，包括多氯聯苯、戴奧辛、有機汞工廠的爆炸與污染排放，陸續在日本、印度、義大利造成千百人死傷的慘劇，一九六○年代美國作家瑞秋卡遜在《寂靜的春天》一書中對農業、環境用藥提出的警告，也才不再被視為危言聳聽。