Note Post World War II orcharding creates present day DDT-problems in The Sørfjord (Western Norway) – A case study Anders Ruus a, * , Norman W. Green a , Amund Maage b,c , Carl Einar Amundsen d , Merete Schøyen a , Jens Skei a a Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Gaustadalléen 21, N-0349 Oslo, Norway b Hardanger Miljøsenter, Alex Stewart Environmental Services AS, N-5750 Odda, Norway c National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research, P.O. Box 176 Sentrum, N-5804 Bergen, Norway d Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research (Bioforsk), Fr. A. Dahls vei 20, N-1432 Ås, Norway article info Keywords: Sørfjord DDT Blue mussel Fish Environmental monitoring Climate change abstract The Sørfjord has a long history of agriculture and industry, and environmental monitoring has been con- ducted for decades, comprising analyses of contaminants in mussel, fish and sediments. DDT was used as an insecticide in orchards surrounding the fjord between World War II and 1970. Since the early 1990s, elevated concentrations of DDT were found in mussels and fish. Unexpectedly, DDT-concentrations increased towards present day, despite the discontinuation of use. The highest concentrations in mussels (in 2006) corresponded to about two orders of magnitude higher than background. Analyses of sediment core sections also indicated increased input towards present day. Shifts in climatic parameters, as well as increased amounts of soil dissolved organic carbon following a decline in atmospheric sulphate deposi- tion may have contributed to this phenomenon. We warrant the need for increased knowledge of the effects of alterations in variables acting regionally and globally on the disposition of contaminants in ecosystems. Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) was first synthesized in 1874 by the Austrian Othmar Zeidler (McIntire, 1972). The sub- stance was resynthesized in 1939 by Paul Müller of the Geigy Com- pany in Switzerland, who found it to be a potent contact insecticide. Its introduction at the end of World War II began a new phase in insect control, and Müller received the Nobel Prize in 1948. The first use of DDT was for control of insects that were vectors for human diseases, but after World War II it found a ready market in peacetime agricultural enterprise (Flint and van den Bosch, 1981). In the beginning of the 1950s, disadvantages with the use of DDT became known (see McIntire, 1972 for overview). High lipophilicity and persistence rendered DDT subject to bioac- cumulation and biomagnification. Later, concentrations of DDT- compounds (especially p,p 0 -DDE) in birds have been coupled with eggshell thinning and decreased reproductive success (Ratcliffe, 1967; Hickey and Anderson, 1968). After 1959, DDT usage in the USA declined greatly and in the early 1970s all uses of DDT in the USA were cancelled except emergency public health uses and a few other applications (EPA, 1975). In Norway most uses of DDT were discontinued in 1969, and it was banned as a general pesticide in 1970. The spectacular nature around The Sørfjord and the town of Odda (Western Norway) has made this area a tourist attraction since the end of the 19th century. The waterfalls from the moun- tain plateau Hardangervidda in combination with the deep and ice-free fjord also made it possible for profitable industry in Odda. After hydro-electric power was established in 1906, new industries were initiated, producing calcium carbide (since 1908), calcium cyanamide (since 1909), aluminium (1916–1982), zinc (since 1929) and titanium oxide (since 1986). Environmental concerns followed later and The Sørfjord was at one time considered as one of the most metal polluted fjords in the world (Skei et al., 1972). We have earlier presented how PCB-containing paint and plaster from old structures caused extreme PCB-concentrations in biota from The Sørfjord in 2001–2002 (Ruus et al., 2006). Orcharding has an even longer history in The Sørfjord-area, than tourism and industry, going back to the 13th century (Rogdaberg, 2008) when English monks had discovered the suitable climatic conditions. DDT was used as an insecticide in the orchards shortly after World War II and until 1970. A crude estimate indicated that the total use of DDT in this limited geographical area amounted to approximately 14,000 kg (mainly in the outer parts of the fjord; Maage, 2003). The Norwegian State Pollution Monitoring Programme (NSPMP) in The Sørfjord and Hardangerfjord has been continuous since 1979, with the objective of monitoring the environmental changes follow- ing remedial actions, to support the environmental authorities in 0025-326X/$ - see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.06.048 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +47 22185100; fax: +47 22185200. E-mail address: anders.ruus@niva.no (A. Ruus). Marine Pollution Bulletin 60 (2010) 1856–1861 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Marine Pollution Bulletin journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/marpolbul