115 



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PCB concentration of sewage sludge is either 9 or 3 parts 

 per million (ppm) (6, and see Table A in this summary). 

 A 1979 report prepared for the New York District of the 

 Corps of Engineers (3) stated that the ambient concentration 

 .of PCBs in Bight water is 7 parts per trillion (ppt) . A 

 Corps of Engineers' study (4) concludes that the average 

 concentration of PCBs in the Bight Apex is 17.3 ppt (exclud- 

 ing one very high PCB concentration). EPA's Water Quality 

 Criterion for the protection of marine life was 1 ppt (5) , 

 although the 1980 version sets this level at 30 ppt. In 

 contrast, the American Fisheries Society (24) recommended 

 that the PCB concentration should be set at 0.1 ppt. Thus, 

 the ambient concentration of PCBs in the Bight exceeds the 

 more conservatively determined safe levels. 



PCBs are found not only in the water column, but also 

 in the sediment of the New York Bight area . The Outer Bight 

 has a sediment concentration of .4 ppt of PCBs (see Table A) . 

 The sewage sludge dumpsite has a concentration of 2 ppm — 

 5,000 times higher than the Outer Bight. 



PCB contamination is present in animals throughout the 

 Bight. The Corps of Engineers (based on small sample sizes) 

 reports (4) that the Atlantic mackerel has a mean PCB 

 tissue concentration of 0.20 ppm. Similar values for other 

 species, according to the same report, are: 0.20 ppm, 

 windowpane; 0.07 ppm, red hake; 0.27 ppm, silver hake; 0.13 ppm, 

 winter flounder; .144 ppm, lobster; .214 ppm, cancer crabs; 

 .247 ppm, mussel. Figures A and B show PCB values in surf clams 

 and winter flounder, respectively. 



