As violence expands across Gaza, Al-Quds, Iraq, Lebanon, and in the West Bank, we feel the weight of it and we refuse to be silent. We know our campuses are not isolated from the world. The decisions made in boardrooms and the investments protected by our institutions all shape the political reality around us. We are part of that landscape, and we have power within it. We are not spectators. We are not powerless.

This month of Ramadan calls us to reflect, discipline ourselves, and renew our intentions. Join us this week as we come together with clarity, conviction, and purpose.

Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم said: 

"رباط يومٍ في سبيل الله خيرٌ من الدنيا وما فيها"

Guarding the frontier for one day in the cause of Allah is better than the world and what is in it. (Jami at-Tirmidhi 1664)

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a group of likely carcinogenic chemicals, were banned in the U.S. in 1979. Yet because the chemicals were so widely used, and linger in the environment for so long, PCBs continue to be a major source of fish consumption advisories in Maryland and surrounding states. 

A recent study by Professor Upal Ghosh, in the Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering, demonstrates the “unfinished work” of ridding our waters of PCB pollutants, the researchers write. The study was highlighted in a story in the Bay Journal.

The researchers, led by Ghosh and Research Assistant Professor Nathalie Lombard, analyzed PCB concentrations in fish that had been collected across 323 monitoring stations in Maryland over three decades. They identified five watersheds as highly impacted by PCBs, including the Upper Chesapeake Bay. Most impacted waterways have seen gradual, yet steady improvements over the years, with the exception of the Gunpowder-Patapsco near Baltimore, which showed no decrease in PCB pollution concentration levels in fish since 1996. 

Overall, the study showed that the ban on PCBs and pollution remediation efforts implemented across Maryland and surrounding states have helped waterways recover, the researchers say, but more efforts are still needed.

This event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.