Common Chemicals Hurting Salmon

The federal agency in charge of saving salmon has found three common household and agricultural pesticides jeopardize the survival of threatened and endangered salmon.

Jim Lecky, head of the office of protected resources for NOAA Fisheries Service, says it now has to work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to find new ways for people to use the chemicals safely.

Monitoring has shown that even with careful use, the chemicals get into salmon streams at levels that interfere with salmon's ability to avoid predators, find food and reproduce.

The chemicals are chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and malathion. They are the first of 37 pesticides to be analyzed under terms of a lawsuit brought by anti-pesticide groups.