PCB Pollution Essay Example For Students

PCB Pollution Essay The Hudson River is a body of water that stretches for 315 miles from theAdirondack Mountains to the Battery in Manhattan, reaching its deepest point of216 feet in the Highlands near Constitution Island and West Point and reachesits widest point of 3 miles across at Havestraw. This river is one of the mostbeautiful and scenic of the Tri-State area. Unfortunately, it happens to be NewYorks most polluted river. The river has been influenced upon since the early1600s, when Englishman Henry Hudson commanded the Dutch ship Half Moon on anexploration of the river, certain that he had discovered a trade route to China. It soon dawned that this was no Atlantic-to-Pacific passage but an Edenlikeplace of awesome potential-a river valley teeming with prospect and spirit thatwas worth fighting for. In the centuries that followed, the fight for the riverand its commerce never stopped, and still continues to the present. Then duringthe Industrial Revolution, with the advent of hulking manufacturing plants onthe riverbanks, everything changed. The river became a sewer, cut off from thepeople around it by the electrification of the railroads. The 1825 completion ofthe Erie Canal instantly opened trade to the Midwest by linking Troy to Buffaloand established the Hudson River as the major commerce channel for New YorkCity. Tycoons transformed the landscape in New York and across the country withthe railroad, and the Hudson River valley became a hotbed for iron mining,limestone quarrying and clear-cutting. Toward the 19th century, when dynamiteblasting was reducing the face of the Palisades to rubble, conserva tionistsbecame alarmed that something was being lost to progress. In 1900, New York andNew Jersey established the Palisades Interstate Park Commission to preserve thecliffs from further quarrying. Although conservation efforts continued into the20th century, there was no progress to protect the Hudson River and its banksfrom industrial pollution. Some of the largest factories in the nation startedproduction on the Hudson River, including Anaconda Wire and Cable inHastings-on-Hudson and GM in the present day Sleepy Hallow, discharging wasteinto the river. There are numerous known contaminated sites around the U.S. Among the most dangerous of these, and of particular concern to residents of theHudson Valley, are the forty hot spots in the Hudson River resulting fromthe dumping and leakage from General Electric plants at Fort Edward and HudsonFalls. From 1947 to 1977, these two plants legally discharged from 500,000 to1.5 million pounds of PCBs into the Hudson, and unknowingly saturated thebedrock beneath both sites with at least that much again. There are PCBs inHudson River water, biota, and sediment from Hudson Falls to New York City 200miles that comprise the nations largest Superfund site. Pure PCBs are oozing outof the bedrock to this day, constantly recontaminating the river and over300,000 pounds remain concentrated in bottom sediments of the river today. Thespread of PCBs throughout the Hudson River and the food chain, which itsupports, has created one of the most extensive hazardous waste problems in thenation. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of synthetic oil-likechemical s (therefore insoluble in water) of the organochlorine family. Untiltheir toxic nature was recognized and their use was banned in the 1970s, theywere widely used as insulation in electrical equipment, particularlytransformers. Reputable chemists have since concluded, it was probably amistake ever to make or use PCBs. These are serious poisons, which have beenshown to cause damage to the reproductive, neurological and immune systems ofwildlife and humans and are known to cause cancer. Exposure has also been linkedto behavioral damage. Specifically, because PCBs in the body mimic estrogen,women of childbearing age and their infants are particularly susceptible to avariety of development and reproductive disorders. Once in the body, thesecompounds do one of two things: they block the normal passage of hormones intotheir receptors, or, mimic the hormone itself and enter the receptor in lieu ofthe hormone. By doing so can irrevocably alter and damage the development of theorganism. Small amounts of PCBs are taken up by microscopic organisms in theriverbed and passed up through the food chain. PCBs accumulate inmicroorganisms, which are eaten by small fish, which are eaten by big fish,which are eaten by bigger fish still, and so on up the food chain. The processby which PCBs concentrate at higher and higher levels up the food chain iscalled biomagnification, or bioaccumulation. Once bottom-dwelling organismsabsorb the material, PCBs are not readily excreted and remain, inever-increasing concentration, lodged in the fatty body tissues of fish as theygrow, as for humans they persist at elevated levels within the bloodstream,allowing for continuous internal exposure. As one consequence, a once-thrivingcommercial fishing industry in the Hudson Valley, earning about $40 millionannually is now all but dead. Almost all of the river-dwelling fish aremigratory, and the effects are such that the NYS Dept. of Health has issued anadvisory telling people to severely limit their consumption, even of fish caughtrecreationally in the Hudson. Women of childbearing age and children underfifteen are advised to eat none at all. All other individuals are advised to eatno more than one meal per week of many species (like yellow perch) and no morethan one meal per month of others (like striped bass). Although humans can beexposed to PCBs in a variety of ways, eating contaminated fish is by far themost potent route of human exposure, with exposure levels of about 4,000 timesgreater than from breathing (contaminated air) or drinking (contaminated water). .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7 , .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7 .postImageUrl , .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7 , .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7:hover , .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7:visited , .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7:active { border:0!important; } .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7:active , .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7 .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u430957a696dd413315708dd49381a5f7:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Analysis On The Impact Of Frankenstein Family And EssayDespite commercial fishery closures and recreational fishery health advisories,exposure to PCB-contaminated Hudson River fish continues to occur! The primarydistribution of health advisories in NYS is through publication in recreationalfishing licenses. However, because licenses are not required on the main stem ofthe Hudson or in the marine waters, many recreational anglers never receivehealth advisories. As long as PCBs remain in the river, the danger of exposurewill remain as well. Removing contaminated sediments from the river is thesurest way to reduce PCB levels in fish, and in the people who eat Hudson Riverfish . The NYS DEC is investigating a long-term solution to PCB-contamination atGEs facilities in Hudson Falls and Fort Edward. This will include stoppingongoing migration of PCBs to the Hudson River and remediating both upland sites. At the same time, EPA continues to conduct a Superfund Reassessment ofPCB-contaminated sediments. The culmination of this process will result in aRecord of Decision, which may recommend dredging contaminated sediments fortreatment and destruction. Advanced dredging techniques exist which could removethe contaminated material with minimal dispersal of material into thesurrounding water. This has been successfully demonstrated in cleanups aroundthe country. Deposited onshore in a prepared location, the material could thenbe concentrated and treated biochemically of preferably thermochemically undercontrolled conditions to break down the PCB molecules into hazardous residues. These are established, proven technologies. Another technique of removal wouldbe the usage of a cutterhead suction dredge. This will limit the resuspention ofcontaminated sediments within the water column by combining the action of arotating cutter with hydraulic suction. This has been shown to have a moreeffective and efficient design than other dredging equipment, with the mostoperational flexibility and the best maneuverability near shorelines. A totalproject cost of $280 million has been estimated. This is less than one percentof GEs annual revenues! PCBs will not be removed from the Hudson Riverwithout two things: political will and money. There is a strong need for furtherresearch of these techniques as well as its effects on the environment withinand around it. We can help by writing to the state legislatures or senators,EPA, or, NYS DEC urging them to: Order prompt and comprehensive cleanup of PCBsfrom the riverbed Use safe, effective and commercially available technologies t opermanently destroy PCBs once they are dredged Require GE (the companyresponsible for the contamination) to pay for a full cleanup. With the help andaction of non-profit organizations, environmental groups, as well as the humanpopulation, there is hope to defend the river and its once awesome awe renewed. I grew up and lived on the river all my life and it makes me sick to know thatthis happened, because it affects relatives, friends and myself. I am part ofsome of the organizations listed in the bibliography and continue to do my fairshare of letter writing to save the most serene place in my life, my home theriver!BibliographyLaws, Edward A. Aquatic Pollution. 2nd edition. New York: John Wiley andSons, Inc. 1993. Pg. 301-305. Adams, Aurthur G. The Hudson Through the Years. New Jersey: Lind Publications, 1983. The Hudson: A Guide to the River. Albany:State University of New York Press, 1981. Barnthouse, Lawrence W. Science, Law,and the Hudson River