© 2024 KALW 91.7 FM Bay Area
KALW Public Media / 91.7 FM Bay Area
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

One Planet: Massive Underwater DDT Dump Site Near Catalina Island & Revitalizing The EPA

Ways To Subscribe
Three decades after regulatory scientists found evidence of men taking an ax to these waste barrels before dumping them overboard, an underwater robot came across barrels on the seafloor with puncture marks. (David Valentine / ROV Jason)

On this edition of Your Call’s One Planet Series, we're getting an update on the toxic legacy of DDT waste off the Southern California Coast. A Los Angeles Times investigation found that California became a dumping ground for DDT waste from the 1940s to the 1980s. As many as half a million barrels had been dumped just off the coast of Los Angeles.

Later in the program, we're discussing the Biden Administration’s plan to fix Trump-era damage at the EPA, which includes stopping powerful industries from interfering in the agency's critical work.

Guests:

Rosanna Xia, environment reporter for the Los Angeles Times

Sharon Lerner, award winning health and the environment reporter for The Intercept and a reporting fellow at Type Investigations

Web Resources:

The Intercept: The Fight to Clean Up the EPA

The Los Angeles Times: L.A.'s coast was once a DDT dumping ground

The Los Angeles Times: Stunning DDT dump site off L.A. coast much bigger than scientists expected