Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-b6zl4 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-13T02:36:34.345Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS & CASE STUDIES: Hudson River PCB Dredging: Midcourse Assessment and Implications Regarding Possible Project Continuation Versus Termination

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 January 2011

Robert A. Michaels  and
Uriel M. Oko
Robert A. Michaels*
Affiliation:
RAM TRAC Corporation; Schenectady, New York
Uriel M. Oko
Affiliation:
Recycle Management, Glenmont, New York
*
Robert A. Michaels, PhD, CEP, President, RAM TRAC Corporation, 3100 Rosendale Road, Schenectady, NY 12309; (phone) 518-785-0976; (e-mail) [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Phase 1 of Hudson River dredging fractionally reduced the amount of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated sediment remaining in the river bottom, but greatly increased its downstream transport, as “clamshell” dredge buckets leaked more material than they retained. Clamshells were especially inefficient at capturing liquid PCBs and PCBs adsorbed to silt and fine sediment. Material that was removed, therefore, was relatively coarse, and contained relatively little PCB. Volume reduction was achieved only at the expense of massive mobilization of liquid, colloidal, and adsorbed forms of PCB, spreading contamination to previously uncontaminated river areas. We estimate that Phase 1 increased the surface area of contaminated riverbed by at least 3 orders of magnitude, from about 50 dredged acres to many square miles. PCB entry into ecosystems, water, and air depends upon the surface area of contaminated sediment newly exposed to scouring from the riverbed, causing further downstream transport, especially in high-flow events over years or decades. Indeed, Phase I contravened EPA's benefit criterion by mobilizing PCB at a higher rate than would occur naturally, without dredging, over the planned seven-year project duration. If dredging is to continue, therefore, Phase 2 must assure health risk acceptability and net benefit compared with no action/no dredging. Further, EPA's benefit criterion must be revised to account for impacts of PCB mobilization to ecosystems and air, not just resuspension to water. Finally, Phase 2 must increase the scope and duration of environmental monitoring to enable more reliable warning of harm in real time, and project evaluation over decades. We recommend that EPA consider for Phase 2 such technologies as coffer damming, vacuum dredging, and dredging within enclosures to minimize sediment resuspension; mobilization of liquid, colloidal, and adsorbed forms of PCB; and PCB entry into ecosystems and air. If Phase 2 cannot assure health risk acceptability and comply with a revised benefit criterion, we recommend that EPA terminate the dredging project.

Environmental Practice 12:377–394 (2010)

Type
Features
Information
Environmental Practice , Volume 12 , Issue 4 , December 2010 , pp. 377 - 394
Copyright
Copyright © National Association of Environmental Professionals 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). 2000, November. Toxicological Profile for Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, ATSDR, Atlanta, GA, 948 pp. Available at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/ToxProfiles/tp17-p.pdf.Google Scholar
Alvares, A.P, Fischbein, A., Anderson, K.E., Kappas, A.. 1977. Alterations in Drug Metabolism in Workers Exposed to Polychlorinated Biphenyls. Clinical and Pharmacological Therapeutics 22(2):140–146.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baibergenova, A., Kudyakov, R., Zdeb, M., Carpenter, D.O.. 2003. Low Birth Weight and Residential Proximity to PCB-Contaminated Waste Sites. Environmental Health Perspectives 111(10):1352–1357.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baker, E.L. Jr., Landrigan, P.J., Glueck, C.J., Zack, M.M. Jr., Liddle, J.A., Burse, V.W., Housworth, W.J., and Needham, L.L.. 1980. Metabolic Consequences of Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) in Sewage Sludge. American Journal of Epidemiology 112(4):553–563.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bertazzi, P.A., Riboldi, L., Pesatori, A., Radice, L., and Zocchetti, C.. 1987. Cancer Mortality of Capacitor Manufacturing Workers. American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(2):165–176.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brickley, A. 2009. EPA River Clean-up Uncovers Pools of Cancer-Causing PCBs. CNS News, August 28. Available at http://www.cnsnews.com.Google Scholar
Buckley, E.H., and Tofflemire, T.J.. 1983. Uptake of Airborne PCBs by Terrestrial Plants near the Tailwater of a Dam. In Proceedings of the National Conference on Environmental Engineering, ASCE Specialty Conference, July 6–8, 1983, Medine, A. and Anderson, M., eds. American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Reston, VA, 662–669.Google Scholar
Carpenter, D.O. 1998. Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Human Health. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health 11(4):291–303.Google ScholarPubMed
Carpenter, D.O. 2005. Hospitalization Rates for Coronary Heart Disease in Relation to Residence Near Areas Contaminated with Persistent Organic Pollutants and Other Pollutants. Environmental Health Perspectives 113(6):756–761.Google Scholar
Carpenter, D.O., Nguyen, T., Le, L., Baibergenova, A., and Kudyakov, R.. 2003. Profile of Health Effects Related to Proximity to PCB-Contaminated Hazardous Waste Sites in New York. Fresenius Environmental Bulletin 12:173–180.Google Scholar
Carson, R. 1962. Silent Spring. Houghton Mifflin, New York, 368 pp.Google Scholar
Chase, K.H., Wong, O., Thomas, D., Berney, B.W., and Simon, R.K.. 1982. Clinical and Metabolic Abnormalities Associated with Occupational Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). Journal of Occupational Medicine 24(2):109–114.Google ScholarPubMed
Choi, W., Eum, S.Y., Lee, Y.W., Hennig, B., Robertson, L.W., and Toborek, M.. 2003. PCB 104-Induced Proinflammatory Reactions in Human Vascular Endothelial Cells: Relationship to Cancer Metastasis And Atherogenesis. Toxicological Sciences 75(1):47–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Colombi, A., Maroni, M., Castoldi, M., Jun, L.K., Valla, C., and Foà, V.. 1982. Increase in Urinary Porphyrin Excretion in Workers Exposed to Polychlorinated Biphenyls. Journal of Applied Toxicology 2(3):117–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Emmett, E.A. 1985. Polychlorinated Biphenyl Exposure and Effects in Transformer Repair Workers. Environmental Health Perspectives 60:185–192.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Emmett, E.A., Maroni, M., Jefferys, J., Schmith, J., Levin, B.K., and Alvares, A.. 1988a. Studies of Transformer Repair Workers Exposed to PCBs: II. Results of Clinical Laboratory Investigations. American Journal of Industrial Medicine 14(1):47–62.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Emmett, E.A., Maroni, M., Schmith, J.M., Levin, B.K., and Jefferys, J.. 1988b. Studies of Transformer Repair Workers Exposed to PCBs: I. Study Design, PCB Concentrations, Questionnaire, and Clinical Examination Results. American Journal of Industrial Medicine 13(4):415–427.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fischbein, A. 1985. Liver Function Tests in Workers with Occupational Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs): Comparison with Yusho and Yu-Cheng. Environmental Health Perspectives 60:145–150.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fischbein, A., Rizzo, J.N., Solomon, S.J., and Wolff, M.S.. 1985. Oculodermatological Findings in Workers with Occupational Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). British Journal of Industrial Medicine 42(6):426–430.Google ScholarPubMed
Fischbein, A., Thornton, J., Wolff, M.S., Bernstein, J., and Selikoff, I.J.. 1982. Dermatological Findings in Capacitor Manufacturing Workers Exposed to Dielectric Fluids Containing Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). Archives of Environmental Health 37(2):69–74.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fischbein, A., and Wolff, M.S.. 1987. Conjugal Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). British Journal of Industrial Medicine 44(4):284–286.Google ScholarPubMed
Fischbein, A., Wolff, M.S., Lilis, R., Thornton, J., and Selikoff, I.J.. 1979. Clinical Findings among PCB-Exposed Capacitor Manufacturing Workers. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 320:703–715.Google ScholarPubMed
General Electric. 2009, May. River PCBs Site, Phase I Remedial Action Monitoring Program, Quality Assurance Project Plan: Final Report. Prepared for General Electric. Anchor QEA, Liverpool, NY, in conjunction with Environmental Standards, Valley Forge, PA, and ARCADIS, Syracuse, NY, 344 pp., irregular pagination.Google Scholar
General Electric. 2010a, January. Draft Phase I Evaluation Report: Hudson River PCBs Superfund Site. Prepared for General Electric. Anchor QEA, Glens Falls, NY, and ARCADIS, Syracuse, NY, 191 pp. + tables, figures, and appendices.Google Scholar
General Electric. 2010b, March. Final Phase I Evaluation Report: Hudson River PCBs Superfund Site. Prepared for General Electric. Anchor QEA, Glens Falls, NY, and ARCADIS, Syracuse, NY, 667 pp. including tables and figures.Google Scholar
General Electric. 2010c. The Hudson River Dredging Project. http://www.hudsondredging.com.Google Scholar
Gruendell, B.D., Barrows, E.S., Word, J.Q., Antrim, L.D., and Gardiner, W.W.. 1996, September 1. Evaluation of Dredged Material Proposed for Ocean Disposal from Hudson River, New York. Technical Report PNNL-11342. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA, 320 pp.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harza. 1992, March. Fort Edward Dam PCB Remnant Deposit Containment Environmental Monitoring Program: Report of 1991 Results. Harza Engineering, Chicago.Google Scholar
Hennig, B., Hammock, B.D., Slim, R., Toborek, M., Saraswathi, V., and Robertson, L.W.. 2002. PCB-Induced Oxidative Stress in Endothelial Cells: Modulation by Nutrients. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health 205(1-2):95–102.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network (IADN). 2000. Atmospheric Deposition of Toxic Substances to the Great Lakes: IADN Results to 1996. EPA 905-R-00004. Environment Canada and US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, 126 pp.Google Scholar
Kimbrough, R.D., Doemland, M.L., and LeVois, M.E.. 1999a. Mortality in Male and Female Capacitor Workers Exposed to Polychlorinated Biphenyls. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 41(3):161–171.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kimbrough, R.D., Doemland, M.L., and LeVois, M.E.. 1999b. Authors' reply to letter to the editor re: “Evidence of Excess Cancer Mortality in a Cohort of Workers Exposed to Polychlorinated Biphenyls.” Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 41(9):739–745.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawton, R.W., Brown, J.F. Jr, Ross, M.R., and Feingold, J.. 1985a. Comparability and Precision of Serum PCB Measurements. Archives of Environmental Health 40(1):29–37.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lawton, R.W., Ross, M.R., and Feingold, J.. 1986. Spirometric Findings in Capacitor Workers Occupationally Exposed to Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). Journal of Occupational Medicine 28(6):453–456.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lawton, R.W., Ross, M.R., Feingold, J., and Brown, J.F. Jr. 1985b. Effects of PCB Exposure on Biochemical and Hematological Findings in Capacitor Workers. Environmental Health Perspectives 60:165–184.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lucier, G.W. 1991. Humans Are a Sensitive Species to Some of the Biochemical Effects of Structural Analogs of Dioxin. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 10(6):727–735.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maroni, M., Colombi, A., Arbosti, G., Cantoni, S., and Foà, V.. 1981a. Occupational Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Electrical Workers. II. Health Effects. British Journal of Industrial Medicine 38(1):55–60.Google ScholarPubMed
Maroni, M., Colombi, A., Cantoni, S., Ferioli, E., and Foà, V.. 1981b. Occupational Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Electrical Workers. I. Environmental and Blood Polychlorinated Biphenyls Concentrations. British Journal of Industrial Medicine 38(1):49–54.Google ScholarPubMed
McDonough, K.M., Fairey, J.L., and Lowry, G.V.. 2008. Adsorption of Polychlorinated Biphenyls to Activated Carbon: Equilibrium Isotherms and a Preliminary Assessment of the Effect of Dissolved Organic Matter and Biofilm Loadings. Water Research 42(3):575–584.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meigs, J.W., Albom, J.J., and Kartin, B.L.. 1954. Chloracne from an Unusual Exposure to Aroclor. Journal of the American Medical Association 154:1417–1418.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Michaels, R.A., and Oko, U.M.. 2007. Bias in the US Environmental Protection Agency's Baseline Health Risk Assessment Supporting the Decision to Require Dredging of PCB-Bearing Sediments from the Hudson River. Environmental Practice 9(2):96–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC). 1997, November 12. New York State DAR-1: Guidelines for the Control of Toxic Ambient Air Contaminants. NYS DEC, Albany, NY, 62 pp.Google Scholar
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC). 2003, December 22. DAR-1 AGC/SGC Tables. NYS DEC, Albany, NY, 59 pp.Google Scholar
Ouw, H.K., Simpson, G.R., and Siyali, D.S.. 1976. Use and Health Effects of Aroclor 1242, a Polychlorinated Biphenyl, in an Electrical Industry. Archives of Environmental Health 31(4):189–194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paquin, J. 2001. Insights into the Origin, Movement, and Capture of PCB DNAPL Contamination at the Smithville Site (Ontario, Canada). In Proceedings, Fractured Rock 2001, International Conference Addressing Groundwater Flow, Solute Transport, Multiphase Flow, and Remediation in Fractured Rock, Toronto, ON, March 26–28, B.H. Kueper, K.S. Novakowski, and D.A. Reynolds, eds., 10 pp.Google Scholar
Peer Review Panel. 2010. Hudson River PCBs Site Peer Review of Phase 1 Dredging, Final Report. Under contract to US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (Contract No. EP-W-09-011), 102 pp., incl. appendices. Available at http://www.epa.gov/hudson/pdf/hudsonriverphase1dredgingreport_final.pdf.Google Scholar
Public Service Electric and Gas, New York. 2001, June. Multipathway Risk Assessment for Bethlehem Energy Center Project. Bethlehem Energy Center (BEC) Application, Health Risk Assessment (HRA). ENSR, Acton, MA, irregular pagination.Google Scholar
Shavit, U., Moltchanov, S., and Agnon, Y.. 2003. Particles Resuspension in Waves Using Visualization and PIV Measurements: Coherence and Intermittency. International Journal of Multiphase Flow 29(11):1183–1192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Slim, R., Toborek, M., Robertson, L.W., and Hennig, B.. 1999. Antioxidant Protection against PCB-Mediated Endothelial Cell Activation. Toxicological Sciences 52(2):232–239.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, A.B., Schloemer, J., Lowry, L.K., Smallwood, A.W., Ligo, R.N., Tanaka, S., Stringer, W., Jones, M., Hervin, R., and Glueck, C.J.. 1982. Metabolic and Health Consequences of Occupational Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls. British Journal of Industrial Medicine 39(4):361–369.Google ScholarPubMed
Stehr-Green, P.A., Welty, E., Steele, G., and Steinberg, K.. 1986. Evaluation of Potential Health Effects Associated with Serum Polychlorinated Biphenyl Levels. Environmental Health Perspectives 70:255–259.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor, P.R., Stelma, J.M., and Lawrence, C.E.. 1989. The Relation of Polychlorinated Biphenyls to Birth Weight and Gestational Age in the Offspring of Occupationally Exposed Mothers. American Journal of Epidemiology 129(2):395–406.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
United Nations Environment Programme (UN EP). 2003, March. Training manual for the preparation of a national environmentally sound management plan for PCBs and PCB-contaminated equipment in the framework of the implementation of the Basel Convention. Basel Convention Series/SBC No. 2003/01. UN EP, Châtelaine, Switzerland, 103 pp.Google Scholar
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 1999, December. HRA, Mid-Hudson River. Phase 2 Report—Further Site Characterization and Analysis. Volume 2F—A Human Health Risk Assessment for the Mid-Hudson River. Hudson River PCBs Reassessment FS. TAMS Consultants, Bloomfield, NJ, 30 pp. + appendices.Google Scholar
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2000a, November. Revised HRA, Mid- and Upper Hudson River. Phase 2 Report—Further Site Characterization and Analysis. Volume 2F—A Human Health Risk Assessment; Hudson River PCBs Reassessment FS. TAMS Consultants, Bloomfield, NJ, 128 pp. + appendices.Google Scholar
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2000b, November. Revised HRA, Mid- and Upper Hudson River, Appendix E. Hudson River PCBs Reassessment FS. Appendix E: Engineering Analysis. Section 6. Technical Memorandum: Semiquantitative Analysis of Water Quality Impacts Associated with Dredging Activities. Bloomfield, New Jersey. TAMS Consultants, Bloomfield, NJ, 33–67.Google Scholar
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2006, updated May 15. Actions Prior to EPA's February 2002 Rod [Record of Decision]. Fig. 2-2, Hudson River PCB Site History. http://www.epa.gov/hudson/actions.htm.Google Scholar
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2010a, March. Hudson River PCBs Site EPA Phase 1 Evaluation Report. Prepared for US EPA, Region 2; and US Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District. Louis Berger Group, Morristown, NJ, 272 pp. + appendices.Google Scholar
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2010b, updated October 25. Hudson River Dredging. http://www.epa.gov/hudson.Google Scholar
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2010c, updated October 25. Hudson River Dredging Data. http://www.hudsondredgingdata.com.Google Scholar
Warshaw, R., Fischbein, A., Thornton, J., Miller, A., and Selikoff, I.J.. 1979. Decrease in Vital Capacity in PCB-Exposed Workers in a Capacitor Manufacturing Facility. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 320:277–283.Google Scholar