PCB Free

This blog is about Polychlorinated Biphenyls, a toxic compound that the US banned in the 1970s, and their societal impact especially related to schools in New York city. In the 1960s and 70s PCBs were widely used in building materials such as caulk which is still in place in many older buildings including many New York city schools. What does this mean for kids and teachers who spend the majority of their days in these buildings and what is being done to address this issue?

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

NYC DoE memo to custodial staff regarding PCBs

Not sure this is out there, but the DoE's Division of School Facilities Office of Building Services sent out a memo to custodial staff and building managers. Here is the full text. It asks them to conduct regular inspections and cleanings of surfaces that may have PCBs and of caulking to observe deterioration and disturbances. I hope this is being followed by the custodial staff across the city. Its a good initial step but we still need the custodial staff to have clear rules as to how to clean PCB contaminated areas.

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Call for Schools to be PCB Free!

PCBs are a serious health issue that has come to light recently in New York City which has approximately 266 schools that were built in the 60s and 70s when PCBs were widely used in building materials such as caulking. However, PCBs in schools potentially effects children and teachers around the country and must be addressed at the national level. Join us in calling for PCB Free schools across the country. What do we want:

Testing of all suspect school buildings across the country that may contain significant levels of PCBs.
Safe removal of school building materials that have PCB levels above 50 ppm in accordance with federal regulations.
Develop and implement federally mandated cleaning guidelines across all suspect schools until PCB contaminated materials can be removed.