Dredging the Hudson River

"From 1947 to 1977, GE plants north of Albany poured more than 1.3 million pounds of PCBs into the upper Hudson and PCBs continue to leak out of two GE plants." PCBs are chemicals used for a wide variety of industrial purposes and are linked to but not proven to cause reproductive problems, low birth weight, reduced ability to fight infections and learning problems in humans. In August of 2001, the Environmental Protection Agency decided to remove over one hundred thousand pounds of PCBs from a 40-mile stretch by means of dredging the river. Dredging the Hudson River in this area may h…