[CPEO-MEF] Suisun Bay (CA) mothball fleet

[Lenny Siegel <lennysiegel@gmail.com>]

Report: Mothball fleet drops tons of toxic metals into Suisun Bay
# Old ships hemorrhaging pollutants into water, prompting a 
recommendation of immediate attention

By Thomas Peele
Contra Costa Times (CA)
June 17, 2007

More than 21 tons of lead, zinc, barium, copper and other toxic metals 
have fallen or washed away from decaying government ships in Suisun Bay, 
and high levels of the materials were found in sediment under the 
vessels, according to a draft report.

Tests on water extracted from sediment samples indicate a significant 
risk to aquatic life on the bay bottom and that toxic metals are likely 
entering the food chain and could be passed on to people who eat fish 
from the area, said two scientists who reviewed the report for the Times.

The 610-page document suggests that the "mothball fleet" of dozens of 
World War II relics and rotting cargo carriers is more of an 
environmental threat than the U.S. Maritime Administration, which 
maintains it, has previously acknowledged.

The report lists seven toxic metals in peeling and flaking paints in 
concentrations that exceed California's standards for hazardous waste.

...

For the entire article, see
http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_6163892?nclick_check=1

--


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org


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