| An Unrecognized Source of PCB Contamination in Schools and Other Buildings Robert F. Herrick,1 Michael D. McClean,1 John D. Meeker,1 Lisa K. Baxter,1 and George A. Weymouth2 1Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; 2International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craft Workers, Local 3 (retired), Boston, Massachusetts, USA Abstract
An investigation of 24 buildings in the Greater Boston Area revealed that one-third (8 of 24) contained caulking materials with polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) content exceeding 50 ppm by weight, which is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) specified limit above which this material is considered to be PCB bulk product waste. These buildings included schools and other public buildings. In a university building where similar levels of PCB were found in caulking material, PCB levels in indoor air ranged from 111 to 393 ng/m3 ; and in dust taken from the building ventilation system, < 1 ppm to 81 ppm. In this building, the U.S. EPA mandated requirements for the removal and disposal of the PCB bulk product waste as well as for confirmatory sampling to ensure that the interior and exterior of the building were decontaminated. Although U.S. EPA regulations under the Toxic Substances Control Act stipulate procedures by which PCB-contaminated materials must be handled and disposed, the regulations apparently do not require that materials such as caulking be tested to determine its PCB content. This limited investigation strongly suggests that were this testing done, many buildings would be found to contain high levels of PCBs in the building materials and potentially in the building environment. The presence of PCBs in schools is of particular concern given evidence suggesting that PCBs are developmental toxins. Key words: carcinogen, developmental toxin, environmental exposure, PCB, public buildings, remediation, schools. Environ Health Perspect 112:1051-1053 (2004) . doi:10.1289/ehp.6912 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 25 March 2004]
Address correspondence to R.F. Herrick, Department of Environmental Health, Landmark Center, 401 Park Dr., Room 404E, Boston, MA 02215 USA. Telephone: (617) 384-8803. Fax: (617) 384-8849. E-mail: herrick@hohp.harvard.edu This investigation was supported in part by the Center to Protect Workers' Rights, AFL-CIO Building Trades Department, and the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craft Workers, Local 3, Eastern Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts. The authors declare they have no competing financial interests. Received 11 December 2003 ; accepted 25 March 2004.
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