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1.  Durability and Persistence   Corporate lobbyists say, "Let nature take its course."  But PCBs are not natural.  Nature is not equipped to deal with them.  PCBs are highly durable, man-made chemicals which will persist in the river and bay for centuries if not removed.   While PCBs can break down under limited circumstances, such as intense sun exposure, they frequently just degrade into other toxic forms of PCBs.  (There are 209 kinds of PCBs.)

2.  Dispersal and Burial are not “Recovery”   The PCB threat to the Fox River and Bay may gradually decline over the coming centuries, but this is not “natural recovery,” rather it is the widespread dispersal of PCBs to Lake Michigan, the air, and burial of PCBs at the bottom of the River, Bay and Lake.   This is the definition of "attenuation."  ("Attenuate" is just a fancy word for "dilute.")  Light-weight PCBs are very prone to volatilize into the air and blow downwind.  Buried PCBs could be resuspended at a later time to recontaminate our air, water and food.  Computer models show that, if no action is taken, buried PCBs would  "recharge" the system with PCBs periodically, due to major storms or floods, ruining our hopes of a permanent cleanup.

3.  It's Been Tried and Failed   The “natural recovery” method, or "natural attenuation," has been underway for 50 years, with dismal progress.   PCB dumping in the Fox River began in 1954 and peaked around 1970.   Computer models of PCB movements show that fish consumption advisories will persist on the River and Bay for more than 100 years if PCBs aren’t removed.   In fact, it could take several centuries, because the computer models for these projections stopped at 100 years.

4.  Health Protection is Needed Now    Existing people deserve the immediate health protection provided by dredging and proper disposal of the PCBs.  "Time" is not an acceptable treatment method when public health is threatened.  People cannot be "attenuated." Roughly 40,000 people continue to eat local fish at unhealthy levels, and they’ve already lost 50 years of safe use of the Fox River, Green Bay and Lake Michigan.   Many of us are already PCB-contaminated to higher risk levels; we have no room for additional PCB exposures for another 50 years.

5.  Air Dispersal is a Hazard   A large percentage of the gradual PCB decline seen in our local system is due to PCB volatilization into the air, off the large surfaces of the river, bay and Lake Michigan.  Thousands of pounds of PCBs are lost to the air from our system each year.  These tend to be the lighter-weight PCBs, with fewer chlorines, which were considered “less toxic” in the past.  New research says otherwise.  (see Human Health Effects of PCBs)   These airborne PCBs then become part of a dangerous regional and global air circulation pattern.  Over time, these PCBs settle, revolatilize, then settle again, tending to accumulate in colder regions of the world (the Arctic, Canada, Alaska, Siberia, Scandinavia, and mountain tops.)   “Our” PCBs then become a major source of their health risks.  (see Long-distance Harm Caused by PCBs.)  This is not “natural” or “recovery,” and we would be irresponsible if we didn’t do everything we could to stop this cycle at the source, by dredging and proper disposal of PCBs (in a way that stops volatilization.)   We have a moral duty to protect people in other parts of the world from OUR pollution.

6.  Public Property Must be Restored   The public owns the Fox River and Green Bay. These waterbodies do not belong to the paper industry for their use as a private dumpsite.   The 7 companies who have damaged our property have a moral and legal obligation to restore the river and bay to the extent technically possible.  “Natural recovery” would allow the polluters to escape this responsibility while leaving our public property permanently damaged.

7.  Discrimination  “Natural recovery” implies that the current high health risks to low-income, minority or ethnic people are unimportant.  (We all know that if the PCBs were sitting in a wealthy neighborhood of Green Bay, they would be cleaned up immediately.)  Disadvantaged people are much more likely to consume PCB contaminated fish, due to economic need, lack of awareness, or cultural traditions.  (see Environmental Justice)   The 7 companies who dumped PCBs in the river and bay must not be allowed to continue poisoning these people. 

8. Don't Reward Bad Behavior   The 7 companies have dragged their feet for 30 years, since the early 1970s when the DNR first started studying the PCB problem.   Perhaps these polluters hoped the PCBs would disperse enough over time to make a cleanup impossible --- but we're NOT there yet.  (A large percentage of the PCBs are still concentrated enough in the river and southern bay for us to capture and remove them.)  The polluters should not be rewarded for their obstructive behavior which allowed the dispersal and unnecessary poisoning of an entire generation of people who ate PCB-contaminated fish and ducks.  "Natural recovery" only benefits the polluters.

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