Draft Toxic Reduction-Prevention Strategy For Bay Focuses Solely on Control of PCBs

摘要

Efforts of the Environmental Protection Agency and the six states sharing the Chesapeake Bay watershed to reduce toxic pollution would focus on reducing polychlorinated biphenyls alone, if a working draft recommendation were to be adopted this summer by the governors and EPA administrator. The Chesapeake Bay Program workgroup developing a strategy for reducing toxic pollution discussed the "policy and prevention" strategy draft Feb. 11. It recommends focusing on PCBs because of their wide distribution, the proven adverse health impacts on fish and on humans who consume fish, and ongoing PCB reduction programs in parts of the 64,000-square-mile watershed. Reducing toxic contaminants is one of the aspira-tional goals of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement signed in 2014 by EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, the governors of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, and other officials.