Academy of Sciences to conduct a review which evaluates the availability, effectiveness, costs, and effects of technologies for the remediation of sediments contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, including dredging and disposal.” In response to this congressional request, the National Research Council (NRC) convened the Committee on Remediation of PCB-Contaminated Sediments, which prepared this report. The committee was charged to address the following tasks:

• Select, refine, and apply a scientific, risk-based framework for assessing the remediation alternatives for exposure of humans and other living organisms to PCBs in contaminated sediments.

• Evaluate the likelihood that the specified remediation technologies will achieve their remedial objectives, by considering different site-specific conditions such as water and sediment dynamics.

• For a few selected sites and using the framework, estimate human and ecological risks associated with each of the specified remediation approaches for contaminated sediments containing PCBs in light of the availability, costs, and effectiveness of the various approaches.

• Where applicable, recommend areas for future research.

During its deliberations, the NRC committee held three public sessions (Washington, DC; Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Albany, New York) to gather information from a broad audience with interest in the remediation of PCBcontaminated sediments. Two of these meetings were held in areas with known PCB contamination (i.e., the Fox River in Wisconsin and the upper Hudson River in New York) so that the committee could hear from affected parties about their understanding of the risks posed by the sediments and of possible management options. Numerous affected parties attended the meetings and/or submitted written materials to the committee. The committee considered these materials in the preparation of this report.

In the sections below, the committee presents its conclusions regarding the need for a framework to evaluate the overall risks associated with the management of PCB-contaminated sediments. The committee identifies an appropriate framework and, in the report, uses selected actual sites to illustrate key aspects of the framework. The committee highlights its general conclusions based on its recognition of the uniqueness of each contaminated site, and makes recommendations for further scientific and engineering research.