Congressman Requests Study of PCB Effects on Hudson River Area Residents

By Daniel Hawn

Published on October 09, 2006

Hinchey, representative of the 22nd district, has written a letter requesting that the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry conduct a federal health study on the effects of PCBs, a suspected carcinogen, on residents living near the river. In his letter, Hinchey cited three SUNY Albany studies published last year that suggested a correlation between PCB exposure and the development of health disorders such as heart disease, hypertension, and stroke.

Mark Benhan, GE’s spokesperson, claimed that the company has financed extensive research regarding the side effects of exposure to PCBs and has discovered no associated illnesses.

Meanwhile, Hinchey has been quoted as saying that pollution from GE's dumping is killing people along the Hudson River.

More than a million pounds of PCBs were dumped into the river by GE’s plants north of Albany before 1977. The chemical has since traveled as far south as New York Harbor.

A $700 million dollar cleanup project has been scheduled to commence in 2008. Hinchey will run for re-election to the 22nd district unopposed this November.

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