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Science 12 May 1967:
Vol. 156. no. 3776, pp. 821 - 824
DOI: 10.1126/science.156.3776.821
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Articles

DDT Residues in an East Coast Estuary: A Case of Biological Concentration of a Persistent Insecticide

George M. Woodwell 1, Charles F. Wurster Jr. 1, and Peter A. Isaacson 1

1 Biology Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973; Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York, Stony Brook 11790

DDT residues in the soil of an extensive salt marsh on the south shore of Long Island averaged more than 13 pounds per acre (15 kilograms per hectare); the maximum was 32 pounds per acre (36 kilograms per hectare). A systematic sampling of various organisms from the vicinity showed concentrations of DDT increasing with trophic level through more than three orders of magnitude from 0.04 part per million in plankton to 75 parts per million in a ring-billed gull. Highest concentrations occurred in scavenging and carnivorous fish and birds, although birds had 10 to 100 times more than fish. These concentrations approach those in animals dying from DDT poisoning, which suggests that many natural populations in this area are now being affected, possibly limited, by DDT residues. Similar concentrations have been reported elsewhere in North America.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
DDT Concentrations in Human Milk.
D. J. Wilson, D. J. Locker, C. A. Ritzen, J. T. Watson, and W. Schaffner (1973)
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 125, 814-817
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Metabolic Interactions Among Environmental Chemicals and Drugs: Environmental chemicals that alter microsomal activity may influence the safety and efficacy of drugs.
A. H. Conney and J. J. Burns (1972)
Science 178, 576-586
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DDT in the Biosphere: Where Does It Go?.
G. M. Woodwell, P. P. Craig, and H. A. Johnson (1971)
Science 174, 1101-1107
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Systems Studies of DDT Transport: A systems analysis provides new insights for predicting long-term impacts of DDT in ecosystems.
H. L. Harrison, J. W. Mitchell, O. L. Loucks, D. F. Parkhurst, C. R. Tracy, D. G. Watts, and V. J. Yannacone Jr. (1970)
Science 170, 503-508
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Dieldrin and DDT: Effects on Sparrow Hawk Eggshells and Reproduction.
R. D. Porter and S. N. Wiemeyer (1969)
Science 165, 199-200
   Abstract »    PDF »
DDT Residues Absorbed from Organic Detritus by Fiddler Crabs.
W. E. Odum, G. M. Woodwell, and C. F. Wurster (1969)
Science 164, 576-577
   Abstract »    PDF »
Estrogenic Activity of o, p'-DDT in the Mammalian Uterus and Avian Oviduct.
J. Bitman, H. C. Cecil, S. J. Harris, and G. F. Fries (1968)
Science 162, 371-372
   Abstract »    PDF »
DDT Reduces Photosynthesis by Madne Phytoplankton.
C. F. Wurster Jr. (1968)
Science 159, 1474-1475
   Abstract »    PDF »
DDT Residues and Declining Reproduction in the Bermuda Petrel.
C. F. Wurster Jr. and D. B. Wingate (1968)
Science 159, 979-981
   Abstract »    PDF »


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