Editing General Electric (section)

====Pollution of the Housatonic River====
From {{circa|1932}} until 1977, GE polluted the Housatonic River with PCB discharges from its plant at [[Pittsfield, Massachusetts]]. EPA designated the Pittsfield plant and several miles of the Housatonic to be a Superfund site in 1997, and ordered GE to remediate the site.<ref>EPA. Boston, MA. [http://www.epa.gov/NE/ge/sitehistory.html GE/Housatonic River Site in New England: Site History and Description."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519121339/http://www.epa.gov/NE/ge/sitehistory.html |date=May 19, 2011 }} November 12, 2009.</ref> Aroclor 1254 and Aroclor 1260, products manufactured by [[Monsanto]], were the principal contaminants that were discharged into the river.<ref>{{cite web |title=Understanding PCB Risks at the GE-Pittsfield/Housatonic River Site |url=http://www2.epa.gov/ge-housatonic/understanding-pcb-risks-ge-pittsfieldhousatonic-river-site#WhatArePCBs |publisher=EPA |access-date=September 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926080453/http://www2.epa.gov/ge-housatonic/understanding-pcb-risks-ge-pittsfieldhousatonic-river-site#WhatArePCBs |archive-date=September 26, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=USGS>{{cite web |last1=Gay |first1=Frederick B. |last2=Frimpter |first2=Michael H. |title=Distribution of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in the Housatonic River and Adjacent Aquifer, Massachusetts |url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/2266/report.pdf |date=1985 |publisher=US Geological Survey |location=Alexandria, VA |id=Water-Supply Paper 2266 |access-date=January 29, 2016 |archive-date=September 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926102742/http://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/2266/report.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The highest concentrations of PCBs in the Housatonic River are found in Woods Pond in [[Lenox, Massachusetts]], just south of Pittsfield, where they have been measured up to 110&nbsp;mg/kg in the sediment.<ref name=USGS/> About 50% of all the PCBs currently in the river are estimated to be retained in the sediment behind Woods Pond dam. This is estimated to be about {{convert|11,000|lb|kg}} of PCBs.<ref name=USGS/> Formerly filled oxbows are also polluted.<ref name=EPA1>{{cite web |title=Former Filled Oxbows of the GE-Pittsfield/Housatonic River Site |url=http://www2.epa.gov/ge-housatonic/former-filled-oxbows-ge-pittsfieldhousatonic-river-site |publisher=EPA |access-date=October 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002021016/http://www2.epa.gov/ge-housatonic/former-filled-oxbows-ge-pittsfieldhousatonic-river-site |archive-date=October 2, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> Waterfowl and fish who live in and around the river contain significant levels of PCBs and can present health risks if consumed.<ref name=CTDPH1>{{cite web|title=If I Catch It, Can I Eat It? A Guide to Eating Fish Safely – 2015 Connecticut Fish Consumption Advisory Site |url=http://www.ct.gov/dph/lib/dph/environmental_health/eoha/pdf/2015_fish_flyer_english.pdf |publisher=Connecticut Department of Public Health |access-date=October 28, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907221916/https://www.ct.gov/dph/lib/dph/environmental_health/eoha/pdf/2015_fish_flyer_english.pdf |archive-date=September 7, 2015}}</ref><ref name=MDPH>{{cite web|title=General State-wide Advice for Eating Recreationally Caught Fish and Waterfowl In Massachusetts|url=http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/environmental/investigations/housatonic-river-report-2011.pdf|website=Mass.gov|publisher=MDPH|access-date=October 28, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916005301/http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/environmental/investigations/housatonic-river-report-2011.pdf|archive-date=September 16, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Rest of River of the GE-Pittsfield/Housatonic River Site |url=http://www2.epa.gov/ge-housatonic/rest-river-ge-pittsfieldhousatonic-river-site|access-date=September 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926092345/http://www2.epa.gov/ge-housatonic/rest-river-ge-pittsfieldhousatonic-river-site|archive-date=September 26, 2015 |publisher=EPA |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2020 GE completed remediation and restoration of its 10 manufacturing plant areas within the city of Pittsfield.<ref>{{cite web |title=GE Plant Area of the GE-Pittsfield/Housatonic River Site |url=https://www.epa.gov/ge-housatonic/ge-plant-area-ge-pittsfieldhousatonic-river-site |date=2020-02-19 |publisher=EPA |access-date=2019-12-08 |archive-date=2019-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191208043930/https://www.epa.gov/ge-housatonic/ge-plant-area-ge-pittsfieldhousatonic-river-site |url-status=live }}</ref> {{As of|2023}} plans for cleanup of the river south of the city are not finalized.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cohen |first=Nancy Eve |title=Federal appeals court rejects environmentalists' challenge to EPA's Housatonic cleanup plan |url=https://www.nepm.org/regional-news/2023-07-28/federal-appeals-court-rejects-environmentalists-challenge-to-epas-housatonic-cleanup-plan |date=2023-07-28 |work=New England Public Media |access-date=September 14, 2023 |archive-date=September 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230918044856/https://www.nepm.org/regional-news/2023-07-28/federal-appeals-court-rejects-environmentalists-challenge-to-epas-housatonic-cleanup-plan |url-status=live }}</ref>