[galdosdi]

FWIW, the greater NYC/NJ area is also one of, if not the most polluted region of the USA, because it was so powerful and economically strong when the industrial revolution happened and the earliest industrial chemical shenanigans occurred.

For example: Newtown Creek between Queens and Brooklyn and/or the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn were industrial supercenters in the 19th century ans were known to contain some weird and nasty crap at the bottom that was referred to as "black mayonnaise" as early as 1900. They're not much better now. Both are major superfund sites, and you would be well advised to not touch the water.

Also, in the 70s/80s, it got to the point where the East River, which separates Manhattan from Long Island, sometimes actually visibly caught fire. Really.

North Jersey, eg greater Paterson, Elizabeth, etc, is infested with superfund sites. Chemical companies up the wazoo were operating with impunity for decades.