{"id":2250,"date":"2024-10-10T17:18:48","date_gmt":"2024-10-10T21:18:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/earthmoves.vassarspaces.net\/?p=2250"},"modified":"2025-08-14T06:04:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T10:04:02","slug":"they-dont-tell-you-the-river-is-toxic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/earthmoves.vassarspaces.net\/?p=2250","title":{"rendered":"They Don’t Tell You The River Is Toxic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I’m spending time with visiting family this week, so I thought you’d enjoy reading this post written by one of my students back in October. If you are curious to learn more, there is a podcast, Scenic Secrets<\/em>, we produced that you can get to from the Modern Marinade website<\/a>. Hope you enjoy this post!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The view of the Hudson River from Victor C. Waryas Park is stunning. The expanse of murky water is framed by the majesty of the Mid-Hudson bridge on your left and the aged steel of the Walkway Over the Hudson on your right. The water is peppered with flocks of gulls and complemented by rocky banks, bristling with foliage. In the middle of the park is a sign detailing how the river is \u201cyour inheritance,\u201d describing the estuary program dedicated to protecting the local ecosystem and keeping the river clean of pollutants. The sign doesn\u2019t identify any pollutants by name. It doesn\u2019t detail the efforts made to keep the Hudson clean, or how those efforts failed.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Since 1984, the upper Hudson River has been recognized as a superfund site – a polluted area targeted for remedial efforts by the EPA. It is contaminated with toxic polychlorinated biphenyl compounds. Despite a 6-year effort to remove contaminated sediment, the river\u2019s silt and fish remain tainted. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation describes the Hudson River as \u201cone of the healthiest estuaries on the Atlantic Coast,\u201d and makes note of its \u201cstriking environmental recovery.\u201d This description belies a controversy 8 years in the making – a fight between environmental activists, government organizations, and a massive American conglomerate to reclaim one of the most treasured natural resources on the East Coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As early as the 1940s, General Electric-owned capacitor plants on the Upper Hudson River discarded waste containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PCBs have been identified as potential risk factors for many health problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure, immune system damage, and cancer. General Electric dumped these compounds into the river until PCB manufacturing was banned in 1977. However, it wasn\u2019t until 1984 that the river was designated as a superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency. In 2002, The EPA reached an agreement with General Electric to remove approximately 2.65 million cubic yards of sediment from the Upper Hudson River. After a six-year dredging operation lasting from 2009 to 2015, General Electric exceeded its assigned objective and, in 2019, was granted a Certificate of Completion by the EPA, confirming that General Electric had fulfilled its agreement with the agency. Notably, this certificate does not indicate that the goal of restoring the river was achieved, just that General Electric removed the amount of sediment they were required to.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Graphical Abstract from: Staci, et. al.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In recent years, the EPA has drawn criticism from environmental groups claiming its remedial efforts are not sufficient to make the Hudson River safe. This summer, the Friends of a Clean Hudson Coalition (FOCH) released a presentation that included 2021 data on PCB concentrations in pumpkinseed fish. The concentrations were much higher than what the EPA had predicted their remedial efforts would accomplish by 2021. In 2022, a data analysis conducted on the EPA’s first post dredging survey of fish PCBs from 2017 yielded surprising results. The authors of the 2022 study found evidence that dechlorinated PCBs were present in the fish. Dechlorinated PCBs are PCBs that have had some chlorine atoms removed from their structure by bacteria. This is important because lighter PCBs tend to bioaccumulate less effectively, meaning they don\u2019t move from the sediment to the bodies of animals as much as heavier ones. The researchers concluded that dechlorinated PCBs do bioaccumulate less than other PCBs, but that the sediment concentrations were simply so high that they were still reaching measurable levels in the fish. The researchers also identified a chemical footprint of PCBs that they concluded did not originate from a General Electric plant, indicating that there may be other sources of PCBs besides the capacitor plants. These sources, if they exist, have not been addressed by any of the EPA\u2019s remedial efforts and could pose an obstacle to rehabilitating the river.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since that 2022 study was published, the EPA has taken steps to further the cleanup effort. In the summer of 2024, they released their third five-year report on the Hudson River superfund site, as well as a document detailing the obligations of General Electric under a new legal agreement. The plan going forward is for General Electric to sample water, sediments, and animals in the Lower Hudson River for PCBs from 2023-2025. At that point, the data will be analyzed and a plan of action will be developed accordingly. The EPA also noted that they are investigating the possibility of other sources of PCBs in the river besides General Electric. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These measures have left many unsatisfied. In response to the five-year report, Scenic Hudson published an article expressing frustration that the EPA still suggested a need for additional investigation into the river\u2019s toxicity. The article emphasizes the danger of the EPA\u2019s refusal to commit to further remedial action, despite the existence of research suggesting that further action is required. It calls for individuals to contact the EPA during the  90-day public comment period and joins the chorus of voices calling for a \u2018non-protective determination\u2019. This would be an official determination by the EPA that the dredging operation was not effective at protecting the citizens of the Hudson River community. The EPA has also drawn criticism for its over-reliance on fishing regulations as a means of keeping the public safe from river pollutants. Many low-income families around the Hudson River rely on fishing to feed themselves, and restricting access to that natural resource instead of making it safer to use doesn\u2019t keep those in poverty safe, so much as it trades a risk of illness for a risk of starvation. The authors of the 2022 analysis also note that the EPA\u2019s ultimate goal for fish PCB concentrations is based on over-generalized assumptions. A PCB concentration of 0.05ppm in a fish filet is considered safe to eat, but that determination is based on the assumption that the average adult eats around 51 half-pound fish meals per year. Some individuals, notably members of Native American tribes, may consume fish at much higher rates, making this goal insufficient for their health needs.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Image of Bear Mountain Bridge: courtesy of Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Hudson River has been a bountiful natural resource for centuries. It has been a source of food, transportation, recreation, and community for generations dating back to before the United States was a country. At the 2024 FOCH presentation, Democrat congressman Pat Ryan and Republican Marc Molinaro made a joint appearance to voice their support for activists pushing for a not-protective determination. The Hudson River has brought people together for as long as people have existed to appreciate its beauty, and with the river in danger, with peoples\u2019 ability to swim and fish and connect with it hanging in the balance, communities have come together to defend it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hudsonriverkeeper. (2024, June 11). Webinar: what\u2019s at stake for the Hudson River PCBs Superfund site <\/em>. Youtube. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=z-rscLBCxdc&t=1701s<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. (n.d.). The Hudson Estuary: A River That Flows Two Ways<\/em>. NY DEC. https:\/\/dec.ny.gov\/nature\/waterbodies\/oceans-estuaries\/hudson-estuary<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scenic Hudson. (2024, July 10). Press Statement: EPA Kicks the Can Down the River<\/em>. Scenic Hudson. https:\/\/www.scenichudson.org\/press-release\/press-statement-epa-kicks-the-can-down-the-river\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Hudson River Cleanup<\/em>. EPA. https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/hudsonriverpcbs\/hudson-river-cleanup#quest1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Learn about Polychlorinated Biphenyls<\/em>. EPA. https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/pcbs\/learn-about-polychlorinated-biphenyls#healtheffects<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2024). Lower River Investigation Update Hudson River PCBs Superfund Site<\/em>. EPA. (https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/system\/files\/documents\/2024-08\/lowerhudsonriver_communityupdate_2024.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m spending time with visiting family this week, so I thought you’d enjoy reading this post written by one of my students back in October. If you are curious to learn more, there is a podcast, Scenic Secrets, we produced that you can get to from the Modern Marinade website. Hope you enjoy this post!…<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[20,56,55,50,51,52,53,54],"class_list":["post-2250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsletter","tag-chemicals","tag-ecosystem","tag-fish","tag-hudson-river","tag-pcbs","tag-pfas","tag-public-health","tag-water-pollution"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/earthmoves.vassarspaces.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/earthmoves.vassarspaces.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/earthmoves.vassarspaces.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earthmoves.vassarspaces.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earthmoves.vassarspaces.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2250"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/earthmoves.vassarspaces.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2932,"href":"https:\/\/earthmoves.vassarspaces.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2250\/revisions\/2932"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earthmoves.vassarspaces.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/earthmoves.vassarspaces.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earthmoves.vassarspaces.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earthmoves.vassarspaces.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}