NY/NJ COAST participates in the Harbor Consortium, sponsored by the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS). This is an ongoing, five-year project to identify and reduce a targeted list of contaminants entering the NY/NJ Harbor by using the methodology of industrial ecology to promote specific pollution prevention (P2) plans. To develop recommendations and implement plans, NYAS has formed the Harbor Consortium.

The Harbor Consortium spans twenty to thirty institutions from the region distributed among small businesses, large corporations, state and municipal government, labor, universities, and non-profit groups. Each participating institution contributes experts to two task groups - one focused on scientific strategies and the other on communications strategies. The contaminants that have been chosen for this project are mercury, cadmium, PCB’s, dioxins, and PAH’s or polyaromatic hydrocarbons.

Mercury was chosen as the first pollutant and in May 2002, the Harbor Consortium released. Mercury was chosen because under certain biological conditions, mercury is converted into methylmercury, a form that biomagnifies or accumulates in higher levels of the food chain. It is known to cross the placenta and has been found in maternal milk. Elemental mercury, absorbed through vapor, can lead to acute bronchitis and tremors. Prolonged exposure can lead to serious neurological damage.

Cadmium was chosen as the second toxicant based on the toxicity of cadmium, abundance of data, and the number of commercial activities (mostly historical) in the region that used or released cadmium. Further, the major commercial use of cadmium, Nickel Cadmium batteries, has increased significantly since the mid-1980s.

Initial findings from the PCB report are that between 50-70% of the PCB loading into NY/NJ Harbor are from flows from the upper Hudson River. Historic sediments and atmospheric deposition make up much of the remaining contribution to the estuary.

PAH’s, or polymaromatic hydrocarbons, was chosen by the consortium because as it has been identified as the number one contaminant in dredged materials that makes it inappropriate for ocean disposal. However PAH’s are a diverse set of chemicals that are used in many different ways and enter the waterways through many paths. Therefore, it will be particularly difficult for the consortium to come up with discrete recommendations for reducing inputs into the estuary. The PAH working group is ongoing.

The Harbor Consortium is supported through funding by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the USEPA, and several foundations.

Pollution Prevention in NY/NJ Harbor: NYAS Harbor Consortium