New York City Delays Cleanup of PCBs at Schools - WSJ.com

City Delays Cleanup of PCBs at Schools


By DEVLIN BARRETT

New York City officials estimate that cleaning up potentially cancer-causing PCBs from hundreds of its schools would cost a staggering $1 billion, and they want more time before taking action.

The issue of polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs, in school buildings has been simmering for two years. The chemicals are found in dated light fixtures and caulk.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency has asked the city to begin replacing all of the suspected lighting fixtures in the school system. But education officials are resisting, saying they need to finish studying the issue and then come up with a plan for addressing the problem.

The city "has no sense of urgency and all they seem to be doing is avoiding spending the money,'' said U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler. His congressional district includes P.S. 199, an Upper West Side school that was part of pilot PCB testing that revealed the problem with older fluorescent-lighting fixtures.

PCBs were often used in construction and electrical components starting in the 1950s. They were banned in 1978 when the health risks became known. The EPA says PCBs can cause cancer if they build up in the body over long periods of time, and can hurt the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems.

New York City Delays Cleanup of PCBs at Schools - WSJ.com.