Michigan Canals Still Hide Their PCB Sources

Two canals in Michigan are dangerously contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, according to this advisory. The seriousness of the contamination was underscored by the Michigan Department of Health when it wrote in the advisory that the PCB levels were 2,000 times higher than those typically seen in fish taken from Lake St. Clair.

The advisories cover the bottom feeders -- carp and catfish. That’s because they feed closest to the contaminated sediments and have high concentrations of body fat to store the PCBs. The canals affected are the Lange and Revere off Lake St. Clair.

Residents who live along the canals are concerned about how long it’s taking to find the source of the contamination. The Environmental Protection Agency has been sampling and cleaning up problem areas for years but hasn’t been able to determine just where the contamination originated. PCBs have been linked to cancer and are a persistent pollutant, meaning they accumulate in the environment and in the tissues of living things.

By: Duane Craig

DuPont Finalizing NJ Lake Cleanup Plan

August 9, 2010 - DuPont expects to remove up to 80,000 cubic yards of mercury-laced sediment and soil from Pompton Lake and its shoreline in a project that will take more than four years.

The mercury was deposited into the lake over many decades by the Acid Brook, which runs through DuPont's former munitions factory in Pompton Lakes.

State and federal agencies want DuPont to remove the mercury because it is a toxic metal that can harm humans who eat contaminated fish from the lake. The lake is a popular fishing spot known for its pike, bass and carp.

Pompton Lake, which is ringed by homes, also serves as a backup water supply to reservoirs that provide drinking water to many North Jersey towns. Many residents recall swimming in the lake as children.

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PCB cleanup begins in Natick, MA's Pegan Cove

July 20, 2010 - A large ring of yellow buoys floats on the surface of Pegan Cove, marking the area where contractors have started removing sediment contaminated with PCBs, left by an accident at the Soldier Systems Center 30 years ago.

The PCBs were found in the section of Lake Cochituate just to the east of Natick Labs. They came from a transformer explosion in 1980 and got into the lake through a storm drain, said Jim Connolly, restoration program manager for Natick Labs.

The cleanup was triggered when authorities found unsafe levels of PCBs in fish caught in Lake Cochituate. Kaltofen, an environmental engineer, said the fish are his biggest concern.

"The fish from Lake Cochituate are really nasty," Kaltofen said. "I have been to toxic sites all over the country and very few have anywhere near the level of PCBs as the ones at Lake Cochituate."

While there are signs warning people not to eat the fish, and mailings have gone out to nearby homeowners, some still catch and eat fish from the lake.

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DDT Contamination Lingers At CA's Inner Richmond Harbor

July 14, 2010 - Talk to those who frequently fish in San Francisco Bay and you'll find many who keep and cook their catch. But -- as area fisherman Anthony Florez noted -- it's best to limit the amount you consume.

"You can eat them. But you can't eat too much of it, you know?" said Florez.

Warning signs posted by the state make the danger clear. Mercury and other toxins have been found in the fish. And there is a spot in the bay where no fish are fit to eat. It is a large part of the Inner Richmond Harbor. The main contaminant is DDT, the once widely used pesticide.

"We want the communities to be aware of existing do not eat advisories in the Richmond harbor area and follow these advisories very closely," said Sharon Lim, Environmental Protection Agency project manager for the United Heckathorn Superfund Site.

United Heckathorn was a major pesticide manufacturing plant. Decades ago, it sandwiched between 4th Street in Richmond and the Lauritzen canal.

The plant is long gone, having been demolished after the company went bankrupt in the 1960's. But the company left a legacy of toxins that continue to threaten people and the environment.

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