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NTC SECOND REPORT TO CONGRESS ON AIR TOXICS FALLING INTO THE GREAT LAKES, LAKE CHAMPLAIN, CHESAPEAKE BAY AND OTHER U.S. COASTAL WATERS

Release Date: 07/02/97
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FOR RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 1997

EPA today is issuing the second report to Congress on air toxics falling into the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain, Chesapeake Bay and other U.S. coastal waters.
The report confirms earlier findings that air toxics are a major source of water pollution.

The report finds that persistent and bioaccumulative toxic pollutants adversely affect environmental conditions in water bodies(bioaccumulative pollutants are those that increase in concentrations through the food chain, as larger organisms eat smaller ones). In the Great Lakes states, for example, air pollution has been one of the factors which have caused many states to issue fish advisories for PCBs, mercury and dioxins.

The report reinforces earlier findings that the deposition of airborne nitrogen dioxide is a significant contributor to water pollution problems in the Chesapeake Bay. In fact, atmospheric deposition is responsible for an estimated 27 percent of the annual nitrogen concentrations in the Bay, compared with 23 percent for water discharges from industries and other so-called "point sources." This nitrogen in the Bay can result in excessive
algal growth, known as eutrophication; this, in turn, can contribute to reduced oxygen levels in the water, causing harm to fish and shell fish.

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 require a biennial report to assess the contribution of atmospheric deposition to water bodies, the environmental and public health effects caused by the deposited pollutants, the sources of these pollutants, and the water quality standards violations that may have resulted from deposition of air pollutants.

Copies of the report, entitled "Deposition of Air Pollutants to the Great Waters,Second Report to Congress" (EPA-453/R-97-011,June 1997), will be available through EPA's Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center (Docket Number A-97-21). The docket can be reached via telephone at (202) 260-7548 or via facsimile at (202) 260-4400. A reasonable fee may be charged for copying.

The report will be available soon on the WorldwideWeb at: https://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/publicat.html.

Technical questions should be directed to John Ackermann of EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards at 919-541-5687.

R-98 ###