STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- Rumblings of a secret DDT dumpsite in the deep ocean have been going on for decades, but now photos taken by a deep-sea robot show proof
- Shipping logs show that thousands of barrels of DDT-laced acid sludge were dumped into the ocean off the coast of Los Angeles each month following World War II
- The dumping was done by Montrose Chemical Corp., the largest DDT manufacturer in the U.S., which operated in California from 1947 to 1982; the plant’s site is still regarded as one of the most hazardous in the U.S.
- In addition to being very persistent in the environment, DDT is known to accumulate in fatty tissues and has been linked to cancer and reproductive concerns
- It’s estimated the deep-ocean dumping area may contain 336,000 to 504,000 barrels of acid sludge waste contaminated with residues of DDT