In addition, menhaden are harvested by the reduction industry, turned into fishmeal and fed to chickens, other livestock and fish raised in aquaculture. The impact of menhaden contamination is wide reaching and extremely dangerous. The EPA classifies PCBs as probable human carcinogens. They are extremely persistent in the environment and will not go away by themselves. They do not break down.
Studies show that, over time, some degradation of the PCB molecule does occur.
That causes an ammonia atom to break away from the PCB molecule. What remains is a more toxic PCB molecule much worse than the original. Fish, birds, wildlife and humans along the river are ingesting the PCBs. Bioaccumulation is the process of during which these toxins get into the food chain. Having these toxins remain in this critical spawning estuary is unacceptable.