Barrels on sea floor may contain DDT

A group of Scripps researchers who spent two weeks mapping the ocean floor between Catalina Island and Long Beach found that the massive toxic dumpsite previously discovered on the seafloor was much bigger than expected.

Massive toxic dump site discovered on ocean floor between Long Beach and Catalina Island

Some 3,000 feet below the ocean's surface between Long Beach and Catalina Island, scientists believe the area may contain anywhere from 336,000–504,000 barrels of acid sludge waste from the production of DDT — a powerful pesticide that was banned from use in the U.S. in 1972 due to its adverse environmental effects, such as those to wildlife, as well as its potential human health risks.