On May 4th, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be holding a hearing in an effort to lower the protections of the current regulatory threshold for PCB-contaminated caulk, with the possibility of eliminating the protections altogether. Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are highly toxic compounds that were banned in 1978.
Scientific studies show that PCBs in caulk pose a significant risk to human health, especially children’s health. We need you to make your voices heard and ask the EPA to keep the current protections. If anything, according to new scientific evidence that is released almost daily, the current protections may not even be enough.
Under the EPA’s current regulatory framework, PCBs at levels greater than 50 ppm “present an unreasonable risk of injury to health.” EPA also states that caulk containing more than 50 ppm PCBs “must be removed.” New York Lawyers for the Public Interest and the NYC PCB-free Schools Coalition have been working on this issue because many schools around NYC, built during a time when it was common to use PCBs in caulk, still have caulk that is contaminated, sometimes very severely. NYLPI, the Coalition, and other concerned parents have been trying to get the DOE to test the caulk and address the problem in a responsible manner.
The timing of the EPA’s decision to reassess its PCB regulations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is highly suspect, especially on the heels of a recent groundbreaking agreement entered into by the EPA and the DOE to carry out a pilot study designed to generate a citywide remediation plan. One can’t help but see this as a not-so-subtle attempt to avoid dealing with the potential costs of cleaning up PCB-contaminated caulk.
In addition, the EPA has circumvented the public participation process by doing very little to publicize the hearings (despite the high level of community interest), holding the hearings in a room that can only fit 95 people, and by asking for 10 days advanced notice from folks who want to testify.
The financial cost of protecting human health is not an acceptable basis for refusing to confront the problem or for undermining efforts to come up with effective solutions.
The suggested deadline is today! Please call Christine Zachek at 202.566.2219 and tell her you want to testify on May 4th at 290 Broadway, Rm. 2735 between the hours of 1 and 5 pm. Even if you’re not going to speak, tell her you want to attend the hearing.
Please don’t hesitate to call or email with any questions you have about this important issue!
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