title: Outdoor air PCB concentrations in three communities along the Upper Hudson River, New York.
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/m(3) (median: 0.711 ng/m(3)). For the comparison area, concentrations ranged from 0.080 to 2.366 ng/m(3) (median: 0.431 ng/m(3)). 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.
authors: Bureau of Water Supply Protection, New York State Department of Health, Troy, NY 12180, USA.
authors: Patrick M
authors: PM
authors: Palmer
authors: Erin E
authors: EE
authors: Belanger
authors: Lloyd R
authors: LR
authors: Wilson
authors: Syni-An A
authors: SA
authors: Hwang
authors: Rajinder S
authors: RS
authors: Narang
authors: Marta I
authors: MI
authors: Gomez
authors: Michael R
authors: MR
authors: Cayo
authors: Lorie A
authors: LA
authors: Durocher
authors: Edward F
authors: EF
authors: Fitzgerald
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D009518:New York; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis*; D045483:Rivers; D013696:Temperature; D014919:Wind
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls