UPDATE: The Third Draft Five-Year Review was released on July 10, 2024, and was available for public comment through November 7, 2024 on the EPA’s website. Friends of a Clean Hudson submitted substantial comments – read them here.
Toxic legacy polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) pollution from General Electric remains in the Hudson River despite targeted sediment removal. PCBs have accumulated in the sediment, water, and wildlife in and along the Hudson River. Stringent fish consumption advisories remain in place, though many in the Hudson Valley rely on fish from the Hudson River as a supplemental food source. The human and ecological communities in the Hudson River deserve a Hudson River that isn’t plagued by toxic legacy pollution.
Toxic History + Remedial Efforts
Between 1947 and 1977, two capacitor plants operated by General Electric in Fort Edward and Hudson Falls released millions of pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the Hudson River. The contaminants were transported downstream and now span from Hudson Falls to New York Harbor, making Hudson River one of the largest federal Superfund sites in the county. Superfund sites are designated by the state and federal government to clean up contaminated areas and hold those responsible for the contamination accountable.
PCBs have accumulated in sediment, water, and wildlife and take decades to break down, posing a risk both to human and ecological health. Between 2009 and 2015, 2.75 million tons of contaminated sediment was removed from areas with particularly high PCB concentrations in the upper Hudson River between Hudson Falls and the Federal Dam in Troy using a process known as dredging. Dredging is removing sediment from the bottom of the river, typically using scooping or suctioning. Learn more about the Hudson River PCB cleanup.
Even with the earlier dredging, PCBs remain in the upper Hudson, and the results of the dredging have had a lower-than-anticipated effect on the upper Hudson and nearly no impact on the lower Hudson River (below the Troy Dam).
Risks to Humans and Wildlife
In wildlife, PCBs have been shown to pose significant impacts on reproductive viability. Fish species with PCB concentrations of less than 1 ppm have been found to experience biochemical changes, including the feminization of males, reduced egg survival, increased susceptibility to disease, and growth of tumors. Fish also act as a vector of contamination for other species, as they are eaten, with PCBs both bioaccumulating (building up of substances in an organism over its life) and biomagnifying (building up of substances from lower to higher levels of a food chain) up the food chain. Snapping Turtles in the Upper Hudson River have been found to have 60% higher egg mortality, with higher concentrations of PCBs in eggs connecting to higher rates of mortality. Similarly, mink populations have been found to be impacted by reduced growth and higher rates of both offspring mortality and reproductive failure.
For humans, PCBs are considered by the Environmental Protection Agency to be probable carcinogens and are connected to a diverse range of health effects. Exposure to PCBs poses risks to reproductive function, particularly for pregnant women and unborn children, specifically risks of preterm birth and lower IQ. Additionally, exposure has been linked to immune system disorders.
Current Moment
PCBs continue to contaminate water, wildlife, and sediment across 200 miles of the Hudson River, and fish consumption advisories remain in place, warning women under 50 and children not to eat fish from the Hudson River and offering guidance depending on who wishes to eat fish, from where in the river, which fish, how much, and how often. In the Hudson Valley fishing is a needed supplementary food source for people in our communities. A 2010 angler survey found 27% of respondents named obtaining food as one of their reasons for fishing on the day of the survey, and despite public education, understanding of risk reduction was low among surveyed anglers—disproportionate risks from Hudson River PCB contamination rest on those who eat Hudson River fish.
In May 2023, General Electric began conducting water column, fish tissue, and sediment sampling in the Lower River between the Troy Dam and New York Harbor as required by an agreement with EPA to investigate the Lower River (below the Troy Dam) and determine next steps for addressing contamination. Until now, prior studies focused on PCB contamination in the 40-mile stretch from Hudson Falls down to the Troy Dam.
As part of the Superfund process, a review of the cleanup is required every 5 years, to evaluate if the cleanup is meeting its goals, and make a Protectiveness Determination – whether or not the remedy is protective of human health and the environment.
Ahead of the draft 5-Year Review, the Friends of a Clean Hudson Coalition, consisting of Clearwater, Riverkeeper, Scenic Hudson, and other partners, released an independent Review of EPA’s Upper Hudson River PCB Dredging Remedy in November 2023, revealing the dredging remedy is failing to protect human and environmental health. An addendum was released in June 2024.
- Read the Executive Summary (English)
- Read the Executive Summary (Spanish)
- Read the full report: The Friends of a Clean Hudson: An Independent Review of EPA’s Upper Hudson River PCBs Dredging Remedy
- View the November 2024 Briefing: Hudson River PCBs Superfund Site – Where are we now, what’s next, and how you can help
- Addendum: Extended Analysis of PCB Concentrations in Fish and Sediment: New Insights and Data
- 5-Year Review Fact Sheet – June 2024 (English)
- 5-Year Review Fact Sheet – June 2024 (Spanish)
The Third Draft Five-Year Review was released on July 10, 2024, and public comments were accepted through November 7, 2024 on the EPA’s website. Read Friends of a Clean Hudson comments.
The Friends of a Clean Hudson coalition is a long-standing group of non-profits, community organizations, individuals, and elected officials advocating for the remediation of the Hudson River from PCB contamination. Stay up to date with our efforts and receive urgent updates on the superfund process.
August 2024 Briefing: What does EPA’s recent PCB report on the Hudson mean for the future of the river?
In this briefing, hear independent experts discuss the problems with the EPA’s draft review conclusions, identify public comment opportunities, analyze current trends PCB data, and discuss how upcoming decisions on a nearly 200-mile section of the river could impact human health and the environment.
Stay up to date with the Hudson River PCBs cleanup.
Learn more: