Sunday, August 22, 2010

PCBs still in some schools


From NY1:

Three city schools have been found to contain higher-than-acceptable levels of PCBs.

Tests indicate P.S. 199 in Manhattan, P.S. 178 in the Bronx and P.S. 309 in Brooklyn contain PCB amounts exceeding federal guidelines.

The Department of Education says air samples improved after caulking and other material containing PCBs were removed.

The three schools were the only ones of the more than 1,500 city schools tested as part of a three-agency agreement between the Department of Education, the city's School Construction Authority, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Two more schools will be tested next year.

PCBs were used in school construction and electrical materials from the 1950s until 1978.

Long-term exposure can cause cancer and other health problems.

1 comment:

Warren Coolidge said...

Wow! Kids are still using PCP? I thought that died down in the 80's.