Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs): PCB’s are a broad class of chemicals that were used for a number of uses prior to 1972 when their production was banned. Their resistance to breakdown made them ideal industrial chemicals however this creates problems in the environment as they persist and tend to accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals.

Findings from this report are that between 50-70% of the PCB loading into NY/NJ Harbor are from upstream flows from the Hudson River. Although some current sources of PCBs have been found, such as in paint pigment production, historic sediments and atmospheric deposition make up much of the remaining contribution to the estuary. According to studies by Rutgers researchers at the NJ Atmospheric Deposition Network, approximately 180 kg/yr enter the estuary from the Hudson River, 88 kg/yr from sewage treatment discharges, 5-13 kg/yr from gas absorption, 1-3 kg/yr from dry deposition, and less than 1kg/yr from wet deposition. These researchers also estimate that approximately 40 kg/yr is volatilized into the atmosphere - where breakdown is more likely.

The background ambient atmospheric PCB concentration in the northeast is estimated at 200-300 pg/cubic meter. In this region, values are highest in the industrial areas with concentrations dropping off over water, indicating that land-based activities are the dominant source of PCB’s into the atmosphere.

The source of atmospheric PCB’s is believed to be volatilization from old industrial sites and brownfields throughout the region. Of sampling sites in NJ, Camden showed the highest concentration of atmospheric PCB’s with 75% of the samples ranging from 1,500 to 4,500 pg/cubic meter. Researchers believe that landfills and old industrial sites are the major sources of atmospheric PCB’s. This same research shows a gradual decrease of atmospheric PCB’s over the past few years.
This research has an important implication for water quality standards for PCB’s: if all other sources of PCB’s are eliminated, the Hudson River Estuary will still The study also suggests that even if the region is able to remove all the sediment bound PCB’s, there will still be a net inflow of PCBs into the water column due to atmospheric deposition. The atmospheric sources would still exceed state and federal water quality criterion for PCB’s due to atmospheric loadings. And so, until the land-based contaminated sites are cleaned up adequately, water quality standards will not be met.

Pollution Prevention in NY/NJ Harbor: PCBs