From the contaminant point of view, more sediment analysis has to be done to 
find out the contaminant levels in the sediments, where the hotspots are, and what the 
sources of the PAHs are. Currently, we have no knowledge-of what those sources are. 
B. Brown: What do you know about the shellfish populations in terms of the 
presence of neoplasia? 
L. Bridges: 1 would have to plead a little ignorance because we've harvested 
shellfish in Boston Harbor for a great number of years, even though it has been polluted. 
They are depurated by use of untraviolet lights and then, they are marketed. There is a 
very strong demand by restaurants in the Boston area and the North Shore for Harbor 
shellfish. When the shellfish come out of the depuration plant, it is believed that they are 
an excellent quality product. And of course, when you depurate shellfish, you're 
depurating in terms of bacteria. You are not getting out viruses or viral infections within 
the animal. 
Tufts University scientists have recently found out that many of the shellfish 
throughout our state have a form of blood cancer or abnormalities in the blood system, 
which they feel are either precancerous or cancerous. I think there is some debate as to 
how far this goes back historically because apparently they have found this condition in 
New Bedford Harbor shellfish. However, our people indicate, that this condition was not 
prevalent in 1976. So we really don't know a lot about shellfish pathology. And one of the 
things that the state agencies need is more expertise in pathology. 
M. Barber: Is there a sensitivity to testing of lobster flesh and shellfish? 
Earlier on, someone said that citizen involvement would help as far as any known 
problems dealing with getting monies. Is there a citizen sensitivity, either from the 
fishing community or the citizens themselves, about not wanting to know what's in the 
flesh? 
L. Bridges: There's been a lot of publicity about the problems in Boston 
Harbor and the problems in New Bedford Harbor with PCBs. There is a resistance within 
the industry, particularly the lobster industry, as a result of the New Bedford Harbor 
problem. When you have a contamination problem that affects an economically valuable 
resource, then producers of that resource resist actually finding out the root of the 
problem, because when the public becomes concerned, the consumption rate drops 
drastically after media publicity. 
For example, this spring the flounder fishery in Boston Harbor, suffered from a 
drop in participation by anglers because of the adverse publicity on the flounder 
themselves. I don't want to get into the question of whether the carcinoma in Boston 
Harbor is a problem as far as human health is concerned. That's not my expertise, and I 
don't have any background in that. The adverse publicity has affected the flounder fishery 
in Boston Harbor this year, and it has affected the lobster industry in the past in the South 
Shore in terms of PCBs. So it is a factor; there's no question about it. 
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