Pbs Learning Media: Frontline: Pcb Cleanup in Seattle

Learn about the PCB cleanup of South Park, a Seattle neighborhood along the Duwamish River, in this video segment adapted from FRONTLINE: Poisoned Waters. In 2004, the community learned that some of its streets and yards were contaminated with toxic chemicals called PCBs. Citizens, galvanized by the finding, demanded the long-promised cleanup of an abandoned asphalt plant. The proposed cleanup led to a debate, when the Port of Seattle promised to reduce PCBs to the EPA standard of 25 parts per million (ppm), but residents demanded a stricter standard of 1 ppm. After debate, the city agreed to the stricter standard. [4:55]