Pathway Determination Studies

PCB source evaluation. A screening-level analysis is being conducted of available data on sediment chemistry, sediment transport and deposition, fish tissue chemistry, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) loadings to the Hudson River. Results of this analysis will allow the trustees to make preliminary determinations regarding the relative PCB contribution from upriver sources.

Foodweb pathway evaluation. This study is exploring how PCBs move through the Hudson River foodweb from sediment-dwelling organisms to fish and wildlife.

Floodplain evaluation.  Recent studies of PCB contamination in floodplain soils and in small mammals from Fort Edward to Stillwater indicates that PCB concentrations in floodplain soils in the 20 miles downstream of Fort Edward range up to 1,000 parts per million (ppm), and in small mammals up to 38 ppm.

• Hudson River NRDA Floodplain Data Summary (2004).

• Floodplain Soil and Biota Screening Sampling Report (February 2002)
• PCBs in Floodplain Soils and Shrews of the Hudson River (November 2001).