PCB-Contaminated River Receives $366 Million Clean-Up Fund

The New Bedford Harbor in Massachusetts will receive a clean-up fund of $366 million from South Carolina-based AVX Corp. making it the largest cash settlement for a single Superfund site clean-up in history.

Between 1930 and the early 1970’s, numerous electronic manufacturers released tons of chemicals in to the New Bedford Harbor, which settled into the harbor’s sediment, leaving 18,000 acres contaminated with PCBs.

AVX Corp.’s predecessor, Aerovox Corp., had operated an electrical component plant that dumped chemicals in to the harbor. Their payment of $366 million could have the harbor clean within seven years as opposed to the 40 year timeline that federal officials previously predicted. Thus far, the clean-up has relied heavily on yearly federal funding of $15 million and state funding of $1.5 million.

In a recent press release, AVX stated that the company responsible for polluting the harbor is a predecessor of AVX and AVX has never produced this type of capacitor.
The New Bedford Harbor is considered one of the nation’s top fishing ports; however, the water is so polluted that eating just one fish is prohibited because the water is poisoned with PCB, a known human carcinogen.

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has placed a ban on PCBs in 1979 because they are toxic; however, they are still present in the environment,” states Michael Chapman, Chemistry Laboratory Manager at EMSL Analytical, Inc. “EMSL Analytical’s qualified staff provide advanced testing services for PCBs in environmental samples in accordance with EPA standards.”

For more information regarding EMSL’s PCB testing services, please call 800-220-3675, email info@EMSL.com , or visit www.EMSL.com.

About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical, Inc. is a full service testing company providing quality lab services under the same private ownership since 1981. Including the corporate lab facility in Cinnaminson, NJ, EMSL Analytical operates over thirty laboratories nationwide in the US and Canada. We provide analytical services for environmental, indoor air quality (IAQ), industrial hygiene, forensics and materials science, consumer products, food safety, PCR, pharmaceutical, asbestos, lead, and radiological samples. The company has an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations, as well as state and federal regulating bodies. Please see our website for a complete listing of accreditations.

Contact Information

Joseph Frasca

Senior Vice President of Marketing

EMSL Analytical

(1) 1-800-220-3675

jfrasca@emsl.com