THE announcement from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Erin M. Crotty that findings from preliminary studies of the Upper Hudson River Valley show elevated levels of PCBs in flood plain soils and mammals that live near the river answers two very important questions.
The first is that General Electric should clean up the PCBs it dumped in the Hudson over a quarter century ago. The second is that commercial fishermen should not be allowed to take striped bass from the Hudson River – for health reasons alone.
The studies were conducted by the DEC in association with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of a Natural Resource Damages Assessment (NRDA) for PCB contamination of the Hudson River.
The preliminary results indicate wild mink and river otters have been exposed to PCBs and have elevated levels of PCBs in their bodies. These mammals primarily eat fish and other aquatic life. In addition, flood plain soils and shrews in the upper Hudson River also showed high levels of PCBs.
“The studies indicating high levels of PCB concentrations in soils and animals near the Hudson River raise concerns about the health of wildlife in these areas resulting from the river’s contamination,” Crotty said. “The existence of PCBs in the upper Hudson River basin could have negative impacts beyond aquatic life as a result of exposure passed through the food chain. DEC will continue to screen mammals for PCB contamination and will work with various state and federal agencies to develop appropriate programs to address these findings.”
The results are comparable to those of the last Hudson River mink survey, conducted by DEC from 1982-84. The PCB levels also are similar to concentrations found in fish in the Hudson River, which have not dropped significantly since the mid-1980s.
Based on scientific research of mink and European otters, the PCB levels found in Upper Hudson River mink and otter may cause adverse health effects and reproductive problems in these animals according to the study.
DEC and the federal trustees working on the NRDA will continue to investigate contamination of mammals and flood plain soils, including the link between feeding habitats and exposure to PCBs. In addition, based on these findings, the trustees may undertake studies of other wildlife and natural resources, including birds.
A long-term fish monitoring program to measure PCB concentrations in fish in the Hudson River was initiated by the DEC in 1977. The concentration levels have varied over time, but still greatly exceed values considered a reasonable risk for human consumption of fish, including the Environmental Protection Agency’s goal of 0.05 for unrestricted consumption. DEC considers a PCB concentration level of 0.11 ppm in fish to be the level where it is safe for other animals to eat those fish.
As a result, DEC has limited recreational fishing in the Hudson River between the Troy dam and Hudson Falls, Washington County, to catch-and-release angling only. Commercial fishing is prohibited in this area and restricted south of the Troy dam as well. Advisories are listed in the DEC Fishing Regulations Guide and are also available on the agency website, http://www.dec.state.ny.us.
The State Department of Health has also issued advisories regarding the consumption of fish taken from specific sections of the Hudson River, including an advisory that children and women of childbearing age not consume any fish taken from the Hudson River south of Hudson Falls.
*
AS U.S. authorities take precautions to prevent foot-and-mouth disease from entering the country, the president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, possibly the world’s most influential animal rights organization, openly hopes the disease crosses the Atlantic.
“I openly hope that it comes here. It will bring economic harm only for those who profit from giving people heart attacks and giving animals a concentration camp-like existence. It would be good for animals, good for human health and good for the environment,” said PETA co-founder and president Ingrid Newkirk.
And to think there are people in this country who give this woman credibility and money to perpetuate her lies and stupidity.