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Outdoor Air PCB Concentrations in Three Communities Along the Upper Hudson River, New York

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Abstract

Outdoor air polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations were measured in upstate New York as part of a nonoccupational exposure investigation. The adjacent study communities of Hudson Falls and Fort Edward contain numerous sites of current and former PCB contamination, including two capacitor-manufacturing facilities. Outdoor air PCB concentrations in the study municipalities were significantly higher than in the comparison municipality of Glens Falls. Total PCB concentrations in the study area ranged from 0.102 to 4.011 ng/m3 (median: 0.711 ng/m3). For the comparison area, concentrations ranged from 0.080 to 2.366 ng/m3 (median: 0.431 ng/m3). Although our sampling was not designed to identify point sources, the presence of PCB-contaminated sites in the study area likely contributed to this observed difference in concentration. While elevated relative to the comparison area, total PCB concentrations in the study area are lower than those in other communities with known PCB-contaminated sites, and similar to levels reported in other locations from the northeastern United States.

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Acknowledgment

We thank the following for their assistance in sample collection: B. Montione, D. Miles, R. Rafferty, K. Mazor, J. Hunt, and D. Lince. We also thank W. Brown for assistance in the laboratory. This work was funded by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry under Grant# H75/ATH298312.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bureau of Water Supply Protection, New York State Department of Health, Troy, NY, 12180, USA

    Patrick M. Palmer & Lloyd R. Wilson

  2. Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology, New York State Department of Health, Troy, NY, 12180, USA

    Erin E. Belanger, Syni-An A. Hwang, Marta I. Gomez, Michael R. Cayo & Edward F. Fitzgerald

  3. School of Public Health, University at Albany, Rensselaer, NY, 12144, USA

    Lloyd R. Wilson, Syni-An A. Hwang & Edward F. Fitzgerald

  4. Biggs Laboratory, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, 12201, USA

    Rajinder S. Narang & Lorie A. Durocher

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  1. Patrick M. Palmer
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  2. Erin E. Belanger
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  3. Lloyd R. Wilson
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  4. Syni-An A. Hwang
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  5. Rajinder S. Narang
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  6. Marta I. Gomez
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  8. Lorie A. Durocher
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  9. Edward F. Fitzgerald
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Correspondence to Lloyd R. Wilson.

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Palmer, P.M., Belanger, E.E., Wilson, L.R. et al. Outdoor Air PCB Concentrations in Three Communities Along the Upper Hudson River, New York. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 54, 363–371 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-007-9035-z

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