LA Times uncovered multiple hotspots as recent as 2020, initially hypothesizing that the industrial waste barrels scattered among them contained DDT, or Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, a pesticide that has been prohibited for a long time. It is estimated that as much as 700 tons and 25,000 barrels of toxic DDT were discarded. Referred to as the “halo” barrels due to their unremarkable white sediment halos found underwater, scientists now believe they have identified the substances within them. These barrels are leaking corrosive alkaline waste into the vicinity in significant quantities, deterring animal life and possibly leading to its destruction.
As reported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the cemetery, referred to as the Southern California ocean disposal site #2, spans 14 deep-sea dumping locations. These locations are said to be filled with radioactive waste, refinery waste, chemical waste, oil-drilling waste, and military explosives, which were disposed of between the 1930s and 1970s. Very little information is available about the content of these dumping sites, aside from the likelihood of them containing harmful industrial waste in some form. A 2021 report indicates that it is not DDT, however, following assessments conducted by teams from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography.
<div class="slide-key image-holder gallery-image-holder credit-image-wrap " data-post-url="https://www.bgr.com/1971258/why-los-angeles-halo-barrels-destroying-aquatic-life/" data-post-title="These 'Halo' Barrels Around Los Angeles Might Be Destroying Aquatic Life" data
