Originally published Friday, November 7, 2008 at 12:00 PM
EPA targets 4 key contaminants in cleanup efforts
The Environmental Protection Agency is targeting four key pollutants in its effort to clean up toxics in the Columbia River.
The Environmental Protection Agency is targeting four key pollutants in its effort to clean up toxics in the Columbia River.
The agency has released a draft report focusing attention on four toxic contaminants which are found in the river basin at levels that could harm people, fish and wildlife.
The contaminants include PCBs and the pesticide DDT, which persist in the environment despite being banned since the 1970s. The two others are mercury and a flame retardant commonly found in mattresses, furniture and electronics.
Mary Lou Soscia, the EPA's cleanup coordinator in Portland, Ore., told The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Wash., that the four are among the most toxic to humans and representative of other substances entering the river.
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Information from: The Columbian, http://www.columbian.com
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
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