globally. in 1965, it was recognized that extensive mercury pollution by the chisso chemical factory in minamata, japan due to improper handling of industrial wastes resulted in significant effects to the humans and organisms exposed. mercury was released into the environment as methyl mercury (bioavailable state) into industrial wastewater and was then bioaccumulated by shellfish and fish in minamata bay and the shiranui sea. when the contaminated seafood was consumed by the local populace it caused a neurological syndrome, coined minamata disease. symptoms include general muscle weakness, hearing damage, reduced field of vision, and ataxia. the minamata disaster contributed to the global realization of the potential dangers from environmental pollution and to the characterization of pbts. puget sound despite the ban on ddt 30 years earlier and years of various efforts to clean up puget sound from ddt and pcbs, there is still a significant presence of both compounds which pose a constant threat to human health and the environment. harbor seals (phoca vitulina), a common marine species in the puget sound area, have been the focus of a few studies to monitor and examine the effects of ddt accumulation and magnification in aquatic wildlife. one study tagged and reexamined seal pups every 4 to 5 years to be tested for ddt concentrations. the trends showed the pups to be highly contaminated; this means their prey are also highly contaminated. due to ddt's high lipid solubility, it also has the ability to accumulate in the local populace who consume seafood from the area. this also translates to women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, since ddt will be transferred from the mother to child. both animal and human health risk to ddt will continue to be an issue in puget sound especially because of the cultural significance of fish in this region.