Polychlorinated biphenyls in Narragansett Bay surface sediments (original) (raw)
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Proceedings of the …, 2011
The New Bedford Harbor Superfund Site in southeastern Massachusetts includes the shallow northern reaches of the Acushnet River estuary through the commercial port of New Bedford and adjacent areas of Buzzards Bay. The sediments in the harbor are contaminated with high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and heavy metals from the industrial development surrounding the harbor. From the 1940s through the 1970s, electrical capacitor manufacturing plants discharged PCBs into New Bedford Harbor and its estuaries. In the mid-1970s US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sampling identified PCBs in the river and harbor sediments greater than 100,000 mg/kg. In 1979, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health prohibited fishing and shell-fishing from the river and harbor due to the high levels of PCB contamination found in the harbor and in the seafood from the area. The site was included on the National Priorities List (NPL) in September 1983 as one of the most contaminated PCB sites in the United States. In September 1998, after years of study and public debate, EPA selected a cleanup remedy that involved the dredging and containment of approximately 170 acres of PCB-contaminated sediment. The principal goals of the project were the reduction in health risks from consumption of PCB-contaminated local seafood and from exposure to contaminated shoreline sediments, and the improvement of water quality in the marine ecosystem.
Distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls in the Newark Bay Estuary
Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2006
As part of the NJ Toxics Reduction Workplan for NY/NJ Harbor, ambient water samples were collected at 15 locations along the tidal portions of the Hackensack, Passaic, Raritan, Rahway and Elizabeth Rivers, and in Newark Bay, the Arthur Kill, and Kill van Kull. A Trace Organics Platform Sampler was used to collect a total of 73 dissolved phase and 73 suspended sediment phase samples between June 2000 and May 2002. These samples were analyzed for spatial and wet versus dry weather trends in the 114 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs; modified USEPA Method 1668A). Mean total PCB concentrations at the sampling locations ranged between 3.45 and 56 ng/L. PCB homolog groups distribution patterns at the sampling locations are presented.
Determination of potential sources of PCBs and PBDEs in sediments of the Niagara River
Environmental Pollution, 2006
Sediments from Niagara River, an important waterway connecting two of the Great Lakes (Lake Erie to Lake Ontario), were analyzed for 14 congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 9 congeners of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) using accelerated solvent extraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Total concentrations of PCBs ranged from 1.7 to 124.6 ng/g were PCBs 138 and 153 were found in all samples. All sites but one showed PBDE in sediments with total concentrations as high as 148 ng/g, suggesting that PBDE is becoming an important class of POP. A land-use and coverage map was used to trace potential localized sources of PCB and PBDE contamination. Results indicate that the highest levels of PCBs and PBDEs were found in sediments collected from areas closest to the discharge locations of municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and local industries. This is the first study that suggests the importance of WWTP discharges as a potential source of PBDE contamination in the Great Lakes.
Source apportionment of polychlorinated biphenyls in the New York/New Jersey Harbor
Chemosphere, 2011
The New York/New Jersey Harbor (also known as the Hudson River Estuary) is heavily contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) arising in part from inputs from the Upper Hudson River, which is a Superfund site containing historical PCB contamination, and also due to inputs from the New York City metropolitan area. The Contamination Assessment and Reduction Project (CARP) measured PCBs and other contaminants in ambient water samples collected throughout the Harbor region during 1998-2001. In order to investigate the sources of PCBs to the NY/NJ Harbor, this data base of PCB concentrations was analyzed using Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF). This analysis resolved seven factors that are thought to be associated with sources such as the Upper Hudson River, storm water runoff, combined sewer overflows (CSOs), and wastewater effluents. The PMF model also produced a factor that appears to be related to sites contaminated with Aroclor 1260. To the extent that the NY/NJ Harbor is typical of urbanized estuaries throughout the United States, these results suggest that storm water runoff is probably a significant source of PCBs to surface waters in urban areas.
Bioaccumulation of PCBs in Aquatic Biota from a Tidal Freshwater Marsh Ecosystem
Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 2002
Water, sediments, and aquatic biota were sampled in a tidal river-marsh on the Potomac River near Washington, DC (USA) to assess baseline concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and bioaccumulation in finish species. The mean sediment total-PCB concentration in the wetland was 50 ng/g dry weight, and mean concentrations in biota ranged from 150 ng/g to 450 ng/g wet weight. The highest PCB concentrations were observed in channel catfish. The median biotasediment accumulation factor (BSAF) estimated in all finfish species for total-PCBs was 2.9. However, some of the individual and co-eluting PCB congeners had median BSAFs that were substantially greater (e.g., congener numbers 42, 74, 182/187/128, and 171) or lower (e.g., congener numbers 18/15, 45, 185, and 208) than the total-PCB average. Apparent bioaccumulation factors (biota/water PCB concentration ratios) for PCB congeners showed a parabolic relation with n-octanol/ water partition coefficients, confirming some previous investigations. There was no clear trend between apparent bioaccumulation factors and trophic level. Organic-carbon-normalized sediment distribution constants (sediment/water PCB concentration ratios) were linearly related to the apparent bioaccumulation factors for all the finfish species investigated.
Marine Environmental …, 1998
Zn, PCBs in all samples. Contaminant distributions in the Hudson River estuary show two types of trends: Ag, Cu and Pb show an increasing trend down-estuary with maximum values in New York Harbor sediments; in contrast, Cd, Zn and total PCBs display a decreasing trend toward New York Harbor where urban sources are also apparent. Silver is a useful tracer of urban sources of contaminants in the Hudson River estuary and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are useful source indicators of upriver sources. Correlations of Cu and Pb with Ag suggest that Ag, Cu and Pb are dominated by down-estuary sources such as wastewater efluent. The history of their inputs suggests that they have been progressively transported downstream. Correlations of Cd and Zn with total PCBs indicate that these contaminants are dominated by upriver sources, where they are removed and diluted downstream along with the sediment transport.