17 March 2012
Futile Attempts Made To Reduce DDT Pollution in SF Bay
Although being banned by the US in 1972, the insecticide DDT still is present in great quantities throughout the San Francisco Bay canal, threatening the lives of both humans and aquatic life. Despite numerous cleanup attempts, with the most recent costing about $12 million, little progress was made. It is mind-blowing to think about the sheer amount of DDT that must have been discharged in to the the bay in order for such large amounts of the pesticide to still be present. Read more about this here.
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DDT is an interesting compound because it directly affects us California residents! I found it interesting that this "elixir of death" (Rachel Carson, Silent Spring), on top of having known carcinogenic properties, was also responsible for the decline in number of bald eagles, the symbol of the United States of America. And yet, it took years to ban the distribution in our country.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting article. I'm curious on what they did with the 3 tons of DDT laced sludge they dredged from the bottom of the canal.
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