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?

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

The Associated Press: EPA reports uptick in some toxic chemicals in 2007

The Associated Press: EPA reports uptick in some toxic chemicals in 2007

I missed this report when it first came out. While overall toxins are down, PCBs are up 40 percent. Yes, 40 percent, even though they were banned in the 1970s. The EPA claims the jump is probably due to disposal of old equipment or clean up at industrial sites.

I thought there were strict guidelines for how to clean up and dispose of these toxins. Either they are not being followed, or they do not work to keep PCBs from getting into the environment. Either way, the system is broken and must be fixed.

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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.