"The number of fish sampled is extremely small and the body of water is so large we don't feel like we have enough information to issue an advisory," said Dr. Jude Van Buren, the state Health Department's director of environmental health assessment.
The trout were gathered in 1999 near Wapato Point on the northeast shore of Lake Chelan, not far from where Stink Creek empties into the lake. Runoff from old orchards where DDT was sprayed in the middle of the last century has long been known to be a problem in the area.

DDT is stored in fatty tissue and can be passed to infants through breast milk. The pesticide affects the nervous system, causing seizures and tremors in large exposures. It's suspected the harm reproduction in animals.