The Region - News from Nov. 3, 1985

A study of 15 people who eat large quantities of fish caught from Southern California piers has revealed DDT levels in their bloodstreams 3 to 10 times higher than the national average, scientists have told a legislative panel. Harold Puffer, associate professor of pathology at USC, said the study results will be used to seek funding for a broader state-sponsored study of people who rely on local fish for a significant part of their diet. Puffer, speaking in Santa Monica at an Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee hearing, said that while the results are preliminary, they indicate that “fish eating is a primary way that DDT is working its way into people” in Southern California.