An analysis of the legal battle between General Electric (GE) and Environmental Protection Association (EPA) which has ordered them to clean up the Hudson River following their dumping of chemicals.
Abstract This paper provides a history of the problem which allowed GE to dump hazardous waste into the Hudson River. These chemicals, Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), are said to cause cancer and other health problems. The writer examines the arguments of both parties and those presented in the legal battle which is still in progress.
From the Paper "Imagine, if you will, a sunny day. A boy and his father are fishing on the beautiful waters of the Hudson River. Excitedly, the boy yells, ?I got a fish! I got a fish!? He reels it in and his father removes the hook from its mouth. Dad says, ?That sure is nice one, son.? He then tosses the fish back in the water. When the boy asks why, the father explains that the fish in these waters are dangerous to eat. They contain high levels of Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). "
Abstract This paper gives a full overview of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB). The paper presents background information on PCBs, including their sources, cleanup efforts, stakeholders, and similar toxins. The paper emphasizes environmental and water quality applications.
From the Paper "Advances in the treatment of affected aquatic systems have been made and PCB contamination is becoming less widespread. The stakeholders associated with this issue are large electrical companies like White-Westinghouse and General Electric and biotechnology corporations such as the Monsanto Company. The electric companies needed a chemical that could be used for industrial cooling and the Monsanto Company used their technology to create this chemical. (Schmidt,48)"
Abstract The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the scavenging of atmospheric organic contaminants from precipitation, specifically snow and rain. The paper also determined and quantified, from scavenging, the amount of polychlorinated biphenyls and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons present in snow and rain. Snow scavenging of organic contaminants was being studied because little is known about this phenomenon and a large amount of precipitation, which occurs in North America, occurs in the form of snow. By studying the various precipitation the researchers were able to observe snow scavenging, the gas scavenging abilities of rain and the particle scavenging abilities of both rain and snow.
Abstract The paper explains that Hudson River has been characterized as one of the country's worst cases of PCB contamination. The author points out that community residents have advanced two primary issues of concerns about the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) announced plan to remediate the high concentrations of PCBs in the Hudson by dredging the material from the river: (1) the possible re-suspension of contaminants during dredging and (2) the disposition of dredged PCB-contaminated soil. The paper relates that, despite the glaring need for more research to identify better ways of remediating the affected parts of the Hudson River, the fact remains that the industries, which are primarily responsible for the problem in the first place, continue to stonewall by introducing spurious studies they have funded in an effort to delay or avoid any responsibility. The paper includes a table.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview.
Stakeholders in the Hudson River Case.
Summary and Conclusion
From the Paper "Other metals such as barium, chromium, aluminum, lead, and manganese are also being released into the Hudson from runoff and discharges points, and are sometimes found at discernible levels in ambient water quality testing in the lower Hudson. During a 14-year period in the late 20th century, researchers found that (a) lead represented 58.5 percent of violations of Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) water quality standards for the protection of human and aquatic life, (b) cadmium for 6.1 percent, and mercury for 4.7 percent, out of a total 2,123 water quality violations in the Hudson River."
