684 
Significantly higher incidences of well documented gastrointestinal 
symptoms among swimmers at Coney Island (a beach adjacent to the 
mouth of the Hudson-Raritan estuary) than at Rockaway's Riis Park 
(a beach bordering the apex). 
Incidences of several fish and shellfish diseases (i.e., fin 
erosion in flatfish and black gill in crabs and lobsters) are 
common, particularly in the apex. Most of the diseases are circum- 
stantially attributable to pollutant stress or degraded environments. 
The full impact of these diseases on sport and commercial stocks 
and on ecosystem function are largely unknown (Sawyer et al. 1979, 
Sawyer, in press; Murchelano and Ziskowski, 1976, in press; Sherwood, 
in press). 
Contaminant Levels: 
As a result of waste loading, elevated concentrations of several 
contaminants are found in the waters, suspended materials, and 
sediments of the Bight (Sindermann, 1980). Most toxic materials 
discharged from the metropolitan area (mercury, lead, cadmium, and 
other toxic metals, synthetic organic compounds, and petroleum 
hydrocarbons) tend to accumulate temporarily in fine sediments of 
the apex, only to be resuspended, primarily during storms, and 
dispersed widely--even beyond the Bight (Freeland et al., 1979). 
Cadmium concentrations in apex waters are typically around 0.5 ug/1 
(Segar and Cantillo, 1976). Lead concentrations in apex waters 
were less than 3.0 ug/1 (Alexander and Alexander, 1977). While 
present knowledge is unsatisfactory for assessing ecological effects 
of lead in marine waters, the technical literature indicates that 
lead concentrations of the order of 1 ug/1 should be scrutinized 
for toxicity. PCB concentrations in apex waters immediately fol low- 
ing dumping may reach 0.04 ug/1 (Boehm, 1981). The concentrations 
are on the same order of magnitude as the EPA marine water quality 
criterion (0.030 ug/1, the chronic-concentration never to be exceeded 
as a 24-hour average, U.S. Federal Register, 1980) and are a cause 
for concern. Several recent studies have implicated sewage sludge 
