48 



system and managing the system as a whole. And I think the 

 greatest steps can be made if we do consider these systems as a 

 whole. 



I think that in the short-term we need to remove a lot of the un- 

 certainty over dioxin, not only the toxicity issue but also the bioa- 

 vailability of dioxin, the bioaccumulation of dioxin that has been 

 frequently mentioned, but also where this material is being trans- 

 ported. There are routes for transport in the deeper ocean which 

 also need to be determined. We need budgets of the sediments that 

 these contaminants are bound to. And as I said in my testimony, 

 we need to get on with the remediation process — the remediation 

 process not just for the contaminated sediments but as was just 

 said the remediation process for the hot spots in the system. 



Mr. Ortiz. Thank you, Dr. Grassle. I would like to thank both of 

 you for coming here today to testify before this committee, and, 

 again, I apologize for all the inconveniences and interruptions that 

 we had during this hearing. And I know that several of the sub- 

 committee members will have questions that they will submit to 

 you in writing, and then you can respond to them. 



This concludes our last panel. It is clear that this is a serious 

 issue with no easy answers and few definitive long-term solutions. I 

 hope that the testimony and discussions we have had today will 

 provide the impetus for moving forward on this issue. We will con- 

 tinue to work with you. You can be assured of that. And I know 

 that the members of the Subcommittee and I want to work with 

 you, and we hope that we can find a solution. Again, thank you 

 very much for being with us. At this time, the meeting is ad- 

 journed. 



[Whereupon, at 5:24 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned, and 

 the following was submitted for the record:] 



