REPS LIEU, BARRAGAN, BROWNLEY, HUFFMAN AND CARBAJAL CALL FOR FEDERAL EFFORT TO MITIGATE HARMFUL TOXIN IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WATERS
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County), along with Reps. Nannette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Jared Huffman (D-CA) and Salud Carbajal (D-CA), urged the Biden-Harris Administration to take action to mitigate dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) contamination in the waters along southern California’s coast. In a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Food and Drug Administration, the Members pressed for a more coordinated interagency effort to address the dangers that DDT poses to wild and human life.
In the letter, the Members write:
Dear Secretary Becerra, Administrator Regan, Administrator Spinrad, and Commissioner Califf,
Thank you for your dedicated public service. We write to again emphasize the pressing issue of pollution in our oceans, particularly that of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) along the southern California coast.
A recent Los Angeles Times article reported on scientists from San Diego State University (SDSU) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography (Scripps) who recently released a study2 describing their discovery that tiny zooplankton and fish living in mid-to-deep waters are tainted with various compounds related to DDT. Importantly, this demonstrates a link between the contaminated sediment and the broader ecosystem.
Essentially, this study confirms what we have seen elsewhere: that remnants of this historical pollution are affecting the deep-sea life forms, which in turn are affecting the entire food chain.
In November 2021, we reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to request action to assess the impact of DDT on human health. While HHS reported no violative pesticide findings in fish or shellfish in recent years, they noted a lack of samples collected off the southern California coast. In the response from the EPA District IX, a new task force was referenced. Could you please provide a status update of their work?
In December 2022, we urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to collect samples of fish and shellfish from this region as part of their pesticide monitoring program. The FDA’s response also reported no violative findings, yet the supporting studies listed, including those from outside of the Southern California Blight, were limited.
Returning to the SDSU-Scripps study, DDT and its degradants have been found to accumulate in marine organisms, suggesting a possible threat to both wildlife and human consumers. The alarming rates of carcinoma observed in sea lions by the Marine Mammal Center highlights the urgency and uncertainty of this issue. Further, a joint survey conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Scripps have revised the estimates of DDT contaminant sites upwards.
If seafood sourced from contaminated waters is consumed by individuals across the country, it could have serious implications. A better understanding of DDT contamination effects on marine ecosystems and human health is critically important.
Given these issues, we request swift action from your agencies to address this critical issue – and propose it be led by the formation of an interagency task force. Such a vehicle will allow for increased coordination in monitoring, research, and communication; each of which is essential to mitigating the impacts of pollution on our oceans and safeguarding the well-being of both marine life and our communities.
Thank you for your attention to this vitally important matter. We look forward to your timely response and cooperation in tackling this environmental and public health challenge.
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