Human Health Benefits from Fish Consumption vs. Risks from Inhalation Exposures Associated with Contaminated Sediment Remediation: Dredging of the Hudson River.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Billions of dollars are spent on environmental dredging (ED) to remediate contaminated sediments, with one goal being reduced human health risks. However, ED may increase health risks in unanticipated ways, thus potentially reducing net benefits.

Objectives

To assess the ways that ED may increase health risks in unanticipated ways, thus potentially reducing net benefits, we quantitatively assessed a subset of population health benefits and risks of ED, using the 2009-2015 remediation of the Hudson River Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Superfund Site as a case study. Three remediation scenarios were evaluated: No Action (NA), Source Control (SC), and ED.

Methods

We quantified health benefits for each scenario from reduced PCB levels in Hudson River fish, an

SUBMITTER: Kvasnicka J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6957280 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature