Troy residents gathered at a City Council meeting Thursday evening to express their opinions on the dredging of polychlorinated biphenyls from the Hudson River.
The focal point for the discussion was a controversial resolution proposed by 4th District Councilman William Pascarell opposing dredging. The resolution was eventually tabled, pending a hearing to be held by Environmental Protection Agency on April 3.
Most of the residents speaking were in opposition to the resolution, either because they believed scientific evidence supports dredging or they felt that the council was being swayed by "GE’s propaganda campaign," in the words of one resident. General Electric has heavily advertised its opposition to dredging throughout the Capital District.
Jeremy Magliaro, RPI’s energy conservation coordinator, questioned whether the councilmen supporting the resolution were basing their opinions on scientific evidence, reminding them of statements previously made to the council by Richard Bopp, a professor in the geology department.
Regina Keenan, an occupational health professional, also spoke in favor of dredging, noting that similar projects mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency in the past have worked.
One of the few residents supporting the proposed measure was Nancy Griesau, who argued that "there are a great many flaws in the … EPA’s data." Citing a letter by Dr. George W. Putnam, formerly of SUNY Albany, she claimed that most studies done on PCBs use different types than those found in the Hudson and that "the type of PCBs that cause cancer are not used in this area."
Stacey Ballard ’01, an environmental science student, responded to Griesau’s claims, stating that all PCBs are health hazards. According to Ballard, some PCBs cause cancer while others increase the chance of neurological and other disorders.
The EPA released a proposed plan in December that recommended dredging as the best way to remove PCBs from a 35-mile stretch of the Hudson.
According to the EPA’s website, PCBs were banned in 1979 as a probable human carcinogen. The largest risk to humans comes in eating contaminated fish, which have a higher concentration of the compounds than in the water itself.
