Ecotoxicology: Hudson River Case Study

Catalog description

Ecosystems throughout the country are polluted with a variety of toxic chemicals. This course uses the Hudson River as a model to investigate the sources, transport, transformation, toxic effects, management strategies, and remediation of polluted ecosystems. Over 200 miles of the Hudson River estuary has been designated a U.S. federal Superfund site because of contamination from PCBs, dioxins, and metals. As baseline information, this highly interdisciplinary course initially investigates the geological history of the Hudson River, its hydrology, and inventory of species composition. Those chemical, physical, and biological factors impacting the bioavailability of contaminants to the ecosystem are presented. Efforts to model the trophic transfer of PCBs through the food chain are discussed. Toxic effects (cancer, reproductive disorders, immunological changes, etc.) of these contaminants to Hudson River fish, bird, and mammalian populations are highlighted. Models of resistance of populations to chemical contaminants are explored. Accumulation of toxicants and possible effects on human consumers of Hudson River resources are introduced. Potential beneficial effects of microbial bioremediation strategies are introduced. Problems and issues in the management of Hudson River Superfund sites are discussed by regulatory officials as are the strategies of advocacy groups to remediate these sites. Impacts of remediation of one site on its natural populations are presented.