February 1, 2016 — When you go out for seafood, are you aware of what that fish on your plate might have been exposed to while swimming around in the world’s oceans? According to new research, fish populations around the world have been contaminated with industrial and agricultural pollutants known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

Researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego examined hundreds of peer-reviewed reports that stretched from 1969 through 2012. Some of the pollutants that were identified in the study included 20th century “legacy” toxins like DDT, which is banned in the U.S. and no longer widely used worldwide, and mercury, as well as more contemporary pollutants like coolants and other industrial chemicals like flame retardants.

“Based on the best data collected from across the globe, we can say that POPs can be anywhere and in any species of marine fish,” study co-author Stuart Sandin said in a press release.

However, there were some signs of improvement. The researchers found that the concentrations of pollutants contaminating fish populations have been dropping at a consistent rate over the past 30 years.

Read the full story at CBS News