excerpt for Deadly Deceit: CHAPTER 2; The Crap Game
According to Senate Report No. 199-431, there were serious problems with ocean dumping at
the 12 mile site off New York City and the same problems occurred when ocean dumping was moved to the 106
mile site.
The adverse impacts at the site the report documented were:
Bacterial contamination and closure of shellfish areas; elevated levels of toxic metals and organohalogens in
bottom sediments in and near the site including known fishing areas and within five nautical miles of coastal
beaches; community changes (decreases) in relative abundance and diversity of species; sublethal toxicity
effects in economically valuable species; bioaccumulation of certain metals and organohalogens in
fish and shellfish.
Furthermore, according to the Senate Report:
With the onset of large scale dumping of sewage sludge at the 106 mile site in 1987, fishermen began to
complain of significant decreases in catches and incidences of diseased fish which were previously not
found at these depths. Some of the diseased fish have a shell disease which is associated with sewage sludge and
pollution in coastal waters. This disease was found around the 12 mile site.
According to the Senate Report, "Scientists are just beginning to explore the impacts that sludge dumping may be
having on marine resources in the area potentially effected by sludge dumping at the 12 mile site."
As can be seen from the brief excerpt from the Senate Report, ocean dumping of sewage sludge with its bacterial
contamination, toxic heavy metals and toxic organic chemicals created havoc in the ocean environment. So much
so that the European nations have now banned ocean dumping for the same reasons. This same product that
polluted the ocean is now being, with the approval of the EPA, liberally spread on farmland throughout America and
sold in unlabeled bags as a fertilizer for lawns and gardens.