GE toxic clean-up
July 2nd, 2009 by Elizabeth UlionGeneral Electric has recently made headlines for the Hudson River Superfund clean-up. Finally, forty years after the dumping of polychlorinated biphenyls and a seemingly endless court fight, GE has taken responsibility for the clean-up. The polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs were released into the river for thirty years before they were found to be carcinogenic to animals. Now eight dredge crews are at work pulling sediment from the river bottom attempting to remove contaminants, according to the company’s Web site. GE was not the only organization at fault, the EPA and NY State Department of Environmental Conservation permitted the company to dump pollutants. But after an order from the EPA, GE is paying for and completing the work needed to remove the toxins. A great Q&A at the New York Times explains the intricacies of the issue The fate of this contaminated sludge is in West Texas. Just over the Texas border, 1.3 million pounds of PCBs will be buried in a landfill five miles from the small town of Eunice, New Mexico.
Just a toxic tidbit to fuel the discussion about General Electric.
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Elizabeth Ulion is a graduate student at Northwestern University. She will be attempting to get wine samples in a reusable mug today at Taste of Chicago. Bring on the weird looks!
