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b) With respect to the concentration of contaminants 

 in fish and lobsters, it may be true that levels in fish and 

 biota found at the dump site do not exceed those found in other 

 areas of the Bight Apex. The marine organisms cited are mobile. 

 As such, they do not spend their entire lives at the dump site, 

 but live in all areas. However, if the levels of contaminants 

 in such species are contrasted with organisms in less 

 contaminated areas farther offshore, the City's assertion is 

 incorrect. Fish and shellfish in the Bight Apex are reported by 

 NOAA to bioaccumulate cadmium. The maximum concentration in 

 finfish species is reported as 0.2 mg/kg (wet weight); however, 

 concentrations in nonmobile shellfish in the inner Bight are 

 substantially higher: 0.1-0.2 mg/kg in surf clams, up to . 8 

 mg/kg in hard clams, and up to 2.9 mg/kg in oysters. The levels 

 of cadmium measured in surf clams are below the 0.5 mg/kg level 

 considered safe by NOAA scientists (in terms of ecological 

 health and public health); however, maximum levels in both hard 

 clams and oysters already exceed this safe level. The NOAA 

 studies also indicate that the eastern Christiaensen Basin 

 (nearest the dump site) acts as a sediment trap for cadmium and 

 contains the highest levels in the Bight Apex (5-25 mg/kg dry 

 weight). Similarly, while the data are limited, elevated 

 concentrations of organohalogens , including PCB ' s , have been 

 measured in fish and shellfish in Bight Apex. Maximxim 

 concentrations of PCB ' s observed in the Bight Apex are: 

 lobster, 0.32 mg/kg; crab, 1.8 mg/kg; mussel, 0.78 mg/kg; surf 

 clam, 0.07 mg/kg; polychaete worm, 0.18 mg^^kg; and finfish, 0.39 

 mg/kg. The FDA limit for PCB ' s in edible fish and shellfish is 

 0.5 mg/kg. It should be noted that in a non-contaminated area 

 PCB ' s would not be present. 



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