REPS LIEU AND BROWNLEY LEAD LETTER URGING FDA TO TEST SEAFOOD FOR POSSIBLE CARCINOGEN
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County), along with fellow California Coastal Caucus Co-Chair Julia Brownley (D-CA), led Members in urging the FDA to test fish and shellfish off the coast of southern California for dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, or DDT. In the letter, the Members urged FDA Commissioner Robert Califf to undertake this testing because DDT is possibly carcinogenic and has been found in unhealthy quantities off the coast of California. Seafood sourced from California's waters could contain DDT and endanger the lives of those who eat it, the Members warned. The letter was also signed by Reps. Jared Huffman, Alan Lowenthal, Ro Khanna and Nanette Diaz Barragán.
In the letter, the Members write:
Dear Commissioner Califf,
Thank you for your public service. We write to request that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) collect samples of fish or shellfish off the coast of southern California to test for dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), its degradants, and associated compounds. EPA estimates over 1,700 tons of DDT were released into the Pacific Ocean via the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant from the late 1950s to the early 1970s largely because of wastewater discharges from former manufacturer of DDT, Montrose Chemical Corporation. Recent findings by a joint survey conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Scripps Institute of Oceanography have revised these estimates upwards.
To address this environmental hazard, in November 2021, we sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requesting that these agencies take the actions necessary to assess if DDT is causing a spike in cancer in humans. In their response, HHS shared that "No violative pesticide findings in fish or shellfish were reported in the last five annual pesticide reports; however, no samples are known to have been collected off the coast of southern California." That response is why we are requesting that the FDA collect samples off the southern California coast to test for DDT as part of their pesticide monitoring program.
DDT and its degradants are known to accumulate in living organisms working their way up from the seabed, through living creatures and into the systems of apex predators. Concerning data from the Marine Mammal Center, based in Sausalito, California, has shown that this issue is heavily affecting the region's sea lion population. They have found frighteningly high rates of carcinoma in areas where sea lions would have been exposed to DDT. If marine species commonly harvested as seafood are exposed to – and accumulate – DDT, this could be a major concern to individuals across the country who consume fish sourced in California. It is therefore imperative that we continue doing our best to understand the effects of these dumping grounds and the impact on human health.
We look forward to your timely response. Thank you for your help on this important issue.
READ THE FULL TEXT OF THE LETTER HERE
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