Chemical pollution of the Hudson-Raritan estuary

This report contains statements of issues and conclusions prepared for a workshop held in late 1981-1982 to assess the relative threats to human health and ecosystem well-being posed by toxic pollutants in the Hudson-Raritan Estuary. The workshop considered more than 50 toxic metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, and halogenated hydrocarbons. These were classified on the basis of their toxicity, bioavailability, and concentrations in the environment of the Hudson-Raritan Estuary.Separate assessments were made of the significance of pollutants to ecosystem well-being and to human health. Materials were divided into three categories: contaminants that pose an immediate threat and require continued study (Class A), contaminants that are potentially significant threats, for which additional data must be collected and evaluated (Class B), and contaminants that do not require priority attention at this time (Class C). Of the substances considered, ten were identified as Class A contaminants with respect to ecosystem well-being, and eleven were identified as Class A contaminants with respect to human health. The report suggests that additional effort is required to evaluate the prevalence of constituent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and selected halogenated hydrocarbons in the Hudson-Raritan Estuary environment. The report also suggests that it may be possible, through the use of "carcinogenic potency factors," derived by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to quantify, at least crudely, the increased lifetime risk of human cancer associated with ingesting seafood contaminated with these toxicants