The third class of organic compounds known to be present in the 

 dredge spoils of the Bight are oil, grease and other petroleum-based 

 hydrocarbon materials. These probably accumulate in the sediments of 

 certain polluted sections of the Harbor, which occasionally are dredged. 

 As discussed earlier, material dredged from the Harbor contains on the 

 average 8-10 percent organics (Panuzio, 1965), and Hudson River sediments 

 have 5.5 percent (McCrone, 1967). A large part of this organic material 

 is suspected to consist of petrochemicals. The presence of this class 

 of compounds has been documented for other areas where dumping has taken 

 place. Saila, et al, (1968) reported that dredge spoils disposed of in 

 Long Island Sound were contaminated with hexane extractable petrochemicals. 

 Petrochemicals in the water are known to adversely affect microfauna and 

 flora and macro-organisms, and to interfere with the chemical stimuli 

 which are essential for spawning or predator-prey relationships of marine 

 animals. 



Both the SUNY-SB and the SHL studies have shown the presence of high 

 concentrations of organic materials in the sediments of the dumping 

 grounds and surrounding areas which correlates well with the distribution 

 pattern of coliform bacteria and heavy metals. The SHL report states 

 that the slowly settling sludge generally moves northward, resulting in 

 the deposition of organic material for some distance to the north and 

 northeast of the dumping grounds. A field of high organic material 

 concentration in the sediments has been reported by SHL to the east of 

 the dumping grounds but with no continuum. The organic material in 

 this area is of mysterious origin, and cannot be related with certainty 

 with the dumping activities. 



Observed changes in the distribution of organic matter in the 

 sediments suggest (besides movement of suspended waste by water currents) 

 the possibility of short dumping. 



The method of utilizing percent total carbon composition to deter- 

 mine the distribution of the waste and the potential of contamination 

 is erroneous. Loss on ignition is a more reliable method, but has its 

 own limitations. Both percent total carbon composition, and loss-on- 

 ignition methods do not specifically identify the origin of the carbon, 

 although the SUNY-SB study shows a direct correlation between the two 

 for sewage sludges. Does this organic material originate from carbo- 

 hydrates, sugars or proteins of the sewage sludges? How much of this 

 material represents petrochemicals or synthetic organic compounds? How 

 much is the result of naturally occuring organic compounds or the result 

 of increased biological productivity? These questions have not been 

 answered. Incinerator barges have been dumping ashes in the Bight for 

 many years. Ash residues contain relatively inert carbon compounds, 

 and these substances would also add to the percent total carbon composi- 

 tion of the sediments, making the SHL and SUNY-SB results questionable. 



Finally, the quantity and exact composition of organic materials in 

 the sediments may be indicative of potentially hazardous substances such 

 as petrochemicals or synthetic organic compounds, and may help differentiate 



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