Decades-Old Waste Barrels Are Creating Toxic Dead Zones off LA’s Coast

The caustic waste that leaked from the barrels created an extreme environment similar to that of hydrothermal vents, colonized by specialized bacteria that thrive in such harsh conditions.

Sep 9, 2025 6

Decades-Old Waste Barrels Are Creating Toxic Dead Zones off LA’s Coast
A corroded industrial waste barrel sits on the seafloor off the coast of Los Angeles

The caustic waste that leaked from the barrels created an extreme environment similar to that of hydrothermal vents, colonized by specialized bacteria that thrive in such harsh conditions.
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