Millions of American school children are at risk of chemical contamination in their classrooms, according to new reports by the office of Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit research organization.
An estimated 14 million children—about 30 percent of K-12 students—are exposed to toxic levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, found in aging school building materials, concluded the pair of reports, which analyzed data from the Environmental Protection Agency and research by scientists at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
“The alarm bells going off in our schools should be for the potential risk that toxic PCBs pose to our students and teachers,” Sen. Markey said in a statement. “We need to know the full extent of this toxic threat in our classrooms so that we can test for PCBs, remediate it and inform families that their students may be at risk of exposure to these dangerous chemicals.”
PCBs are an odorless class of industrial chemicals used from the late 1920s to late ‘70s in components for items such as caulk, certain oil-based paints, floor finishes, plastics, and in fluorescent lights. However, the noxious chemicals were banned more than 40 years ago after they were linked to adverse health effects such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, cognitive growth impairment and immune system suppression.
Because the peak of school construction coincides with the peak of the use of PCBs in the U.S., thousands of school buildings are riddled with the toxic chemical, researchers found.
“PCBs are some of the most toxic and persistent chemicals ever produced,” said Ken Cook, president of EWG, which in a 2005 study found 147 different PCB contaminants in the umbilical cord blood of 10 American newborns. “It’s shocking to find that while they were banned decades ago, millions of kids and other Americans continue to be exposed today.”
According to the reports, the EPA has received 286 reports of potential PCB contamination of school buildings in 20 states over the past 12 years. Environmental and health advocates said the reports should serve as a wakeup call to school administrators, parents, Congress and the EPA, which currently does not require testing for PCBs in school buildings.
“This is absolutely outrageous and no parent or educator should stand for it,” Jennifer deNicola, president of America Unites for Kids, said in a statement. Her group sued the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District to force the removal of PCBs from school buildings. “Our government, which requires that children attend school, should also ensure they’re in schools and classrooms free from toxic chemicals like PCBs.”
Markey said he will be introducing legislation requiring schools to inspect and test for PCBs and to notify all stakeholders to potential PCB hazards in schools.
