Strict PCB testing leads to alarm in schools
2023-04-06
Dear friend,
The presence of airborne PCBs have led the Twin Valley Elementary School, in consultation with the Vermont Department of Health and the Agency of Education, to temporarily shut down use of the gym and library. (See Deerfield Valley News: Airborne PCBs force TVES to shutter gym, library.)
I've seen PCBs before. Smelled them, actually. You could smell the PCBs in the muck of the Hudson River where I grew up in New York.
The chemical was released by a General Electric plant upstream and accumulated in "hot spots" at bends in the river. PCBs had an oily smell not unlike creosote. It was an industrial smell that blended in a sickly way with the smell of river mud.
I've been hearing from Twin Valley families with questions about the PCB test results, and it's important to keep in mind that the levels we are testing to in Vermont schools are very, very strict.
The U.S. EPA does not have an indoor air quality standard for PCBs, only testing standards for building materials and soil.
When the State of Vermont decided to determine their own method for measuring PCBs in the air, the idea was to test at a very conservative level.
The criteria for determining a harmful air quality level is set at a being in a building:
-- over 200 days per year
-- at 9.5 hours per day
-- for 30 years.
If all three of these exposure criteria are met, the data we have suggest that at most there might be 6 in 1 million deaths that are potentially attributed to PCBs.
Given that our children don’t come close to meeting those exposure criteria, I’m concerned that test results in schools like Twin Valley have sparked greater concern than is scientifically supported. As has been pointed out by others, PCBs are in our diet on a daily basis.
I support the Board in moving quickly to mitigate the risk, not just for students but for faculty who in many cases have put in many years in these spaces.
However, we are talking about relatively low levels, but with the potential consequence of closing and demolishing entire schools -- with no plan for how we as a state will pay for it. The money that has been allocated by previous Legislatures is a drop in the bucket of how far this could go.
Given how quickly concerns are spreading across school districts in Vermont, based on what we now know is an overly stringent test method, I support the strong vote in the Vermont House to pass H.486, which is now in the Senate.
H.486 pauses the current PCB testing program in Vermont schools. The bill tasks a School Construction Aid Task Force with reporting back to the Legislature by January 2024 with a comprehensive plan for school structure financing.
A part of this task force's charge is to determine if the current State PCB testing levels are the best levels to determine if an area of the building requires remediation, mitigation or abatement. If the area requires some form of corrective action, the task force would determine if immediate action is required or if a more planned approach fits the risk.
COVID brought to light how detrimental it is to not have children in schools. We need to insure there is a medical necessity before we close doors, reduce offerings, and send kids back to a screen.
What are your questions or comments on PCBs and school construction? I'd love to hear from you.
P.S. If what I just said sounds reasonable to you, please contact your Senators and let them know you support H.486. You can find them here: https://legislature.vermont.gov/