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Illinois discontinues testing of fish for some pesticide contaminants

Catfish, like this one landed in southern Illinois, were among the fish in Illinois waters that had concerning levels of contaminants in the 1970s. Levels have vastly improved. (Photo provided)

Illinois is joining a growing list of states that will no longer test fish in lakes and rivers for DDT and other related pesticides.
Illinois began testing fish for organochlorine pesticides in the 1970s, a few years after the best-known one, DDT, was banned in the U.S. Up until the ban, the chemicals had been widely used in the U.S., dating back to the 1940s. The state Department of Public Health (IDPH) says testing was done for the banned chemicals, because they were “environmentally persistent,” and could build up in the tissue of fish and other animals. But Brian Koch with IDPH says those chemicals are no longer showing up at dangerous levels.

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