Here’s what we know about the legacy of DDT dumping off L.A.’s coast
Although DDT, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, was banned 50 years ago, its toxic — and insidious — legacy continues to haunt the marine ecosystem off the California coast.
Public calls for action have intensified since The Times reported that the nation’s largest manufacturer of DDT once dumped its waste into the deep ocean near Catalina Island. This pollution bubbling 3,000 feet under the sea remained hidden until a new generation of scientists discovered the evidence.
Significant amounts of DDT-related compounds are still accumulating today in Southern California dolphins and California’s critically endangered condors, and a recent study linked the presence of the chemical to an aggressive cancer in sea lions. Another study based in Oakland found that DDT’s hormone-disrupting effects are affecting a new generation of women — passed down from mothers to daughters, and now granddaughters.
Catch up on our coverage here:
A new generation of scientists have uncovered barrels containing DDT, a toxic pesticide banned decades ago, dumped into the deep ocean.
Environment reporter Rosanna Xia gives the backstory on her new investigation.
Scientists found that sea lions exposed to DDT and other chemicals in the ocean are more likely to die from a herpes-induced cancer.
A team of Scripps and NOAA researchers set sail to map the seafloor for DDT waste barrels dumped decades ago. As many as half a million of these barrels could still be underwater today.
Women face greater risk of obesity, earlier menstruation and possibly breast cancer if their grandmothers were exposed to DDT during pregnancy, researchers say.
Deep sea explorers are stunned when they investigate a mysterious dumpsite for DDT waste barrels off the coast of Los Angeles
Environmental health scientists and toxicologists have identified more than 40 DDT-related compounds accumulating in California condors.
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Barrels of DDT waste — along with other chemicals — were likely poured directly into the ocean near Catalina Island, according to federal regulators.
In a sobering update Thursday, researchers shared their latest findings on the legacy of DDT ocean dumping off the L.A. coast — which turned out to be even more widespread than expected.
Using advanced underwater cameras, scientists found a multitude of World War II-era munitions littered across the seafloor off the coast of Los Angeles.
