Marine life off the Los Angeles coast may still be impacted by the effects of a long-disused DDT dumping site, a report from UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography and San Diego State University researchers found Monday.
Researchers use Remotely Operated Vehicle SuBastian in this undated photo to collect sediment push cores and record video footage, data that will be used to add to the assessment on how this stretch of deep sea is responding to DDT.
While legal at the time, details of this pollution some 15 miles offshore Catalina Island have deeply concerned scientists and the public since they gained wider recognition in 2020, the authors write.According to their findings — published Monday in the journal Environmental Science and Technology Letters — deep-sea fish and sediments collected from near the dump site remain contaminated with numerous DDT-related chemicals.
According to the authors, from 1948 until at least 1961, barges contracted by DDT-producer Montrose Chemical Corporation would motor from the Port of Los Angeles out toward Catalina and pump manufacturing waste laden with sulfuric acid and up to 2% pure DDT directly into the Pacific Ocean. This practice was legal until 1972 but largely overshadowed by Montrose's other waste disposal practice — pumping a more dilute acidic slurry that also contained DDT through L.A.
The researchers collected 215 deep-water fish spanning three common species near Dumpsite 2. Chemical analysis revealed that the fish contained 10 DDT-related compounds, all of which were also present in sediment samples taken at the same time, the authors write.A barrel thought to contain DDT waste products rests on the bottom of the ocean floor off of the coast of Los Angeles in this undated photo.
These findings lead the researchers to believe the concentrated chemicals on the sea floor are making their way into the wider food chain.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
San Diego FC Chrome Ball tour is heading to Chula Vista this weekendThe new arena will be home to the San Diego Sockers, San Diego Clippers and more.
Read more »
Frontwave arena in Oceanside nears completionThe new arena will be home to the San Diego Sockers, San Diego Clippers and more.
Read more »
Former San Diego Marine last to be sentenced in $65 million military health benefits fraud caseJoshua Morgan, 31, who was based out of Miramar, recruited fellow servicemembers and their dependents to seek compounded medications through fake prescriptions paid by TRICARE
Read more »
San Diego-based Barrio Dogg now serving 'Chicano comfort food' in San Antonio's SouthtownSan Diego-based Barrio Dogg, a purveyor of 'Chicano comfort food,' is branching out from its Southern California roots into a newly opened spot in Southtown. The business, known for its specialty hot dogs, has taken over the space at 620 S. Presa St. that previously housed vegetarian haven Señor Veggie, according to an Instagram post.
Read more »
California Attorney General Bonta and San Diego leaders tackle fentanyl traffickingLeaders local to San Diego, state and federal leaders met in San Diego on Monday to discuss the effects fentanyl trafficking has on the San Diego community and…
Read more »
Marine plankton behavior could predict future marine extinctionsMarine communities migrated to Antarctica during the Earth's warmest period in 66 million years long before a mass-extinction event.
Read more »