CBS News: How a Shocking Environmental Disaster Was Uncovered Off the California Coast After 70 Years
- Cancer
- Pollution
DDT dumpsite wreaks havoc on marine life
Published by CBS News: April 12, 2021
Just 10 miles off the coast of Los Angeles lurks an environmental disaster over 70 years in the making, which few have ever heard about. That is, until now, thanks to the research of a University of California marine scientist named David Valentine.
Working with little more than rumors and a hunch, curiosity guided him 3,000 feet below the ocean's surface. A few hours of research time and an autonomous robotic submersible unearthed what had been hidden since the 1940s: countless barrels of toxic waste, laced with DDT, littering the ocean floor in between Long Beach and Catalina Island.
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Cara Field
California Sea Lion