Do you eat what you catch in the James?

Do you fish in the James River? If so, are you afraid to eat what you catch? While the city attempts to capitalize on the appeal of the James, a nagging problem persists: fishing in polluted waters, according to a report in Style Weekly. Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, once considered miracle chemical compounds that act […]

Do you fish in the James River? If so, are you afraid to eat what you catch? While the city attempts to capitalize on the appeal of the James, a nagging problem persists: fishing in polluted waters, according to a report in Style Weekly.

Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, once considered miracle chemical compounds that act as a coolant and resist fire, have found their way into the water in such quantity that the James River and its tributaries have been polluted for decades. Other chemicals also threatening water quality and fish are mercury, dioxin and Kepone, the notorious and now-banned pesticide made covertly in Hopewell and dumped into the James in the 1970s. Forty years later, it’s still a danger.

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Phil Riggan

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