CHICAGO (AP) – Tens of thousands of schools may be contaminated with PCBs, toxic chemicals banned 40 years ago over concerns they could cause cancer and other illnesses.
The EPA does not require – or encourage – schools to test for the chemicals. They have been found in building materials such as caulk, ceiling tiles and paint, as well as fluorescent light ballasts in schools built before 1980.
The EPA advises schools to clean and ventilate well. But without testing, there is no way to know if those measures are protecting children.
Members of Congress who promised to help schools address PCBs and other pollutants never introduced legislation. And a proposed EPA rule requiring schools and daycares to remove PCB-containing ballasts was quashed by President Trump’s administration.
