Researchers have discovered that fish off the Los Angeles coast are still contaminated with DDT, a pesticide banned more than 50 years ago.
Rosanna Xia reports for The Los Angeles Times.
In short:
- Researchers found DDT in zooplankton and deep-sea fish, establishing a path through which DDT re-enters the ecosystem.
- Chemical analysis links the DDT found in marine organisms to that on the seafloor, highlighting ongoing contamination.
- The study integrates efforts from various scientific disciplines, underscoring the persistent presence of DDT in marine environments.
Key quote:
"Establishing the current distribution of DDT contamination in deep-sea food webs lays the groundwork for thinking about whether those contaminants are also moving up through deep-ocean food webs into species that might be consumed by people."
— Lihini Aluwihare, professor of ocean chemistry at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Why this matters:
The implications of this discovery are particularly troubling for coastal communities and consumers of local seafood, raising alarms about the potential health risks associated with consuming fish tainted with DDT. This pesticide is notorious for its ability to accumulate in the fat of animals and has been linked to cancer, reproductive issues, and other serious health problems in humans.
Related EHN coverage:
- Pesticide DDT linked to increased breast cancer risk generations after exposure
- DDT’s long shadow: Long-banned chemicals linked to abnormal sperm
- DDT linked to an increase in autism risk in new study
