New tests find unsafe levels of toxic PCBs in 2 local rivers

State investigators are using a new, more precise method for studying toxic PCBs this year in the Elizabeth and James rivers. And so far, the findings are not pretty.

In water samples, the new tests reveal excessively high levels of PCBs - polychlorinated biphenyls, a group of chemicals suspected of causing cancer in humans and animals - throughout much of the Elizabeth and portions of the James, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality said Thursday.

Investigators earlier this year also found abnormally high levels of PCBs in parts of the Roanoke River in the western part of the state, but not as high as here.

The latest results, officials say, offer a clearer picture of how PCBs are contaminating rivers - mostly by washing off lands and waste sites, often during rain storms, and creating toxic conditions that violate state water standards.

In addition, officials say, the testing provides a better understanding of how some fish in these waters accumulate unhealthy amounts of PCBs in their body tissues, making them risky for humans to eat.

The fish pick up PCBs by swimming through contamination zones, but more so by gobbling up worms and other tiny aquatic life on the bottom of a river that is laden with the toxic chemicals.

For people who boat on the Elizabeth and James, the results Thursday should not change the state Health Department's assessment - that "in general, there is no danger," mostly because PCBs sink to the bottom of rivers into sediments.

Because of their cancer risks, PCBs have not been manufactured in the United States since the 1970s. Yet they continue to exist in the environment - in old transformers, flame retardants, adhesives, inks and carbonless paper that might be buried in the ground or dumped somewhere.

So while the state now has a better handle on how PCBs interact with the environment, officials still are not sure where the chemicals are leaking from so they can eradicate them.

That part comes next, officials say.

"As we continue our investigation, we will focus on pinpointing sources of PCBs so we can take steps to reduce contamination levels in fish," said David Paylor, director of the state Department of Environmental Quality.

The new testing method, begun this spring, centers on the ability of scientists to determine concentrations of PCBs down to the min uscule level of picograms, or in parts per quadrillion.

How small is that? One part per quadrillion is about the size of a postage stamp on an envelope as big as the states of Oregon and California combined.

The state safety standard for PCBs in water is 640 parts per quadrillion. In sample data released Thursday, the highest level on the Elizabeth River was recorded at a spot on the Eastern Branch in Norfolk, near Military Highway, at 187,000 ppq.

On the James, investigators found levels up to 233,000 ppq in several creeks near Hopewell and its industrial waterfront.

Most samples collected on the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth exceeded the state standard, the highest being at the mouth of Deep Creek in Chesapeake, at 140,000 ppq.

The Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth also showed excessive levels, but samples were within the standard on much of the Western Branch and along the main stem of the river through downtown Norfolk and Portsmouth.

Tests on the Lafayette River were inconclusive and the water will be re-sampled, said Bill Hayden, a state environmental department spokesman.

Joe Rieger, senior scientist with the Elizabeth River Project, said Thursday's news indicates that efforts must focus on finding sources of PCBs and wiping them out.

"It's another piece we'll have to address if we are to achieve our goal of making the river swimmable and fishable by 2020," Rieger said.

Scott Harper, (757) 446-2340, scott.harper@pilotonline.com