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Environmental PCBs in Guánica Bay, Puerto Rico: implications for community health

  • PCBs: Exposures, Effects, Remediation and Regulation with special reference to PCBs in Schools
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Abstract

Guánica Bay, located in southwestern Puerto Rico, has suffered oil spills and other pollution discharges since the 1960s. Previous research showed elevated concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in coral reef and sediment. This research examined PCB concentrations in sediment and fish. Sediment and fish sampling in the bay was facilitated by community members. This study identified the second highest reported PCB level (129,300 ng/g) in sediment in the USA. Fish samples also showed elevated concentrations (1623 to 3768 ng/g), which were higher than the thresholds of safe levels of PCBs in fish for human consumption. The alarmingly high concentration of PCBs calls for proactive community engagement to bring awareness about contamination of the bay and more extensive sampling to test for the concentration of PCBs in seafood and the people of Guánica. This study also underscores the value of the involvement of local communities during sampling design aimed at identifying hot spots of contaminants.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partly supported by the Miami Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) (NCATS Grant # TR000461) and Public Health Sciences Department, University of Miami. We are greatly thankful to both reviewers’ thoughtful, constructive, and meticulous comments, which helped us improve the quality of this paper.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami, 1120 NW 14th St Suite 1063, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Naresh Kumar, Daisy Ramirez-Ortiz, Olveen Carrasquillo & Jose Szapocznik

  2. General Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Olveen Carrasquillo

  3. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 33136, USA

    Michal Toborek, Sapna Deo & Sylvia Daunert

  4. Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 33146, USA

    Helena M. Solo-Gabriele

  5. Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 33146, USA

    Jim Klaus & Leonidas G. Bachas

  6. National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1305 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, USA

    David Whitall

  7. School of Communication, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, 33146, USA

    Joseph B. Treaster

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  1. Naresh Kumar
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Correspondence to Naresh Kumar.

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Kumar, N., Ramirez-Ortiz, D., Solo-Gabriele, H.M. et al. Environmental PCBs in Guánica Bay, Puerto Rico: implications for community health. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 2003–2013 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4913-9

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