Older New England schools have toxic caulking

BOSTON -- Students and staff at hundreds of older schools in New England and other parts of the country face a potential health risk because of toxic caulking in windows and masonry, federal environmental officials say.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the caulk contains high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, that can be released into the air if the caulking deteriorates.

PCBs were banned in the late 1970s because of potential cancer risks. The toxic chemicals were used in caulking in schools and other buildings across the country constructed in the 1960s and 1970s, although they were rarely used in single-family housing. They were also used in a wide variety of other products including electrical transformers, paints and adhesives.

"It's really an emerging issue," Kim Tisa, PCB coordinator for the EPA's New England office, told The Boston Globe for a story in Sunday's editions. "We don't want to scare people, but the bottom line is it's a fact and we have to deal with it."

The EPA says it is studying the problem and will soon be releasing guidelines about how to address it. The agency declined to comment on what it will be recommending.

But Massachusetts officials are already taking action. The state Department of Public Health is recommending that schools examine their caulking and replace it if it is deteriorating.

Public health researchers haven't yet determined the health effects of the PCBs in the caulking. They have found, however, that the caulking can break down over time into particles and vapors containing small amounts of PCBs.

The spotlight on the issue was boosted last year when the New York Daily News had caulking in city public schools tested and very high levels of PCBs were found.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill sponsored by two New York congressmen that would allow educational agencies to get grants and low-interest loans to remove or control PCBs during repairs and renovations of old schools. The legislation is pending in the Senate.

Most schools have not tested their caulking for PCBs, and they are not required to do so under federal law, the Globe reported.

But some Massachusetts schools have taken action:

-- Berkshire Community College found high levels of PCBs at several buildings on exterior window and construction joints after conducting voluntary testing in the spring.

-- Officials at New Bedford High School also found high levels of the toxins and had adhesives, paint and foam removed from some classrooms. The school also closed two other classrooms temporarily three years ago because the air had high PCB levels.

-- Public health officials have also recently tested for PCB contamination in school buildings in Worcester and Shrewsbury at the request of teachers.

University of Rhode Island officials closed a science building in 2000 in response to concerns about breast cancer among employees. Testing showed caulking at the building had elevated PCB levels, and the university spent $3.5 million to replace it.

The EPA does require caulking and other materials to be removed if they have 50 parts per million or more of PCBs. Some New York schools that were tested had levels of more than 200,000 parts per million.

Robert Herrick, senior lecturer at the Harvard School of Public Health, said EPA rules contradict themselves.

"You don't have to test, but if you do and you find it over 50 parts per million, then this whole cascade of regulatory requirements kicks in," he said.

Herrick tested 24 Boston-area buildings for a 2004 study and found eight had caulking with PCB levels above the federal limit. They included three schools, university student housing and a synagogue. Herrick declined to name the buildings.

Herrick is also teaming with the Massachusetts Teachers Association on a study to see if educators in contaminated schools have more PCBs in their blood than teachers in the general population.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)