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METALS 



The National Advisory Commission on Oceans and Atmosphere 

 (NACOA) reported in 1981 (8) that cadmium and mercury may be 

 at or near the levels of metal contamination that may affect 

 marine organisms. A NOAA report (1) states: "Mercury, lead, 

 arsenic, and cadmium appear to be potentially significant 

 threats that should be evaluated more fully. These metals in 

 fish and shellfish from the Bight could increase adult body 

 burdens to 10% or 20% of toxic levels, assuming exceptionally 

 high intakes of these marine foods. ..." A NOAA workshop 

 held in 1978 concluded "cadmium and lead inputs are so high 

 that public health and ecological damage effects cannot be 

 ruled out with existing information." 



Mueller et al. (9) discussed the input sources of these 

 metals to the New York Bight (see Table B) . Barging (sewage 

 sludge, dredge spoil, and chemical dumping) accounts for 82% 

 of the input of mercury to the Bight. The sources of lead 

 input to the Bight are more diverse: 44% is barged in, 

 while 19% is discharged from municipal wastewater, and 

 another 19% comes from urban runoff. Mueller (9) gives no 

 data on arsenic input. A 198 2 report by Mueller (10) describes 

 inputs to the Bight only from the Hudson Raritan Estuary and 

 not from all sources as he did in his 1976 report. The 1982 

 report indicates that about half of the arsenic potentially 

 entering the Bight from the Hudson-Raritan estuary comes 

 from municipal or industrial wastewater. This report (10) 

 also shows that wastewater is a significant source of cadmium 



