• Did you read EPA's settlement with the New York City Board of Education?
• Did you know about the EPA's website on PCBs in caulk?
• Did you know about EPA's Air Exposure Estimator Tool?
• Did you know that the Connecticut Technical High School System will test caulk at 12 of its older, un-renovated buildings for the presence of PCBs
• Did you know about the Coalition for PCB-Free Schools?
• Did you that a parent in the Bronx filed a lawsuit against the NYC Board of Education to remove contaminated caulking?
• Did you read the lawsuit filed by the Yorktown School District against Monsanto?
• Did you know that Congressmen Crowley and Serrano successfully included PCB cleanup in the National Green Schools Initiative?
• Did you know that New York State Assemblymember Rosenthal introduced a bill to mandate testing for PCBs?
• Did you know that a number of New York City pubic schools have hazardous levels of PCBs in the window and masonry caulking?
• Did you know that a number of New York City public schools have PCB contaminated soil?
• Did you know that schools built between the 1930s to 1980 can have hazardous levels of PCBs in the window and masonry caulking?
• Did you know that it is illegal to have PCB-laden caulk?
• Did you know that PCBs in window caulking can volatize into your child's classroom?
• Did you know that in utero exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls in concentrations slightly higher than those in the general population can have a long-term impact on intellectual function?
• Did you know that studies have found elevated blood levels of low chlorinated PCBs in children and teachers attending schools with PCBs window caulking?
• Did you know that PCBs can leak out of joint sealant and contaminate the surrounding soil and indoor air?
• Did you know that the PCB contaminated soil at the French Hill Elementary School in Yorktown Heights, New York was due to window caulking?
• Did you know that as a result of PCBs in the window caulking, the Yorktown Central School District, New York removed 40 feet of PCBs contaminated soil extending out from the eastern side of the school building, and 10 feet of soil extending out from the rest of the building?
• Did you know that the masonry caulking on the front columns at the French Hill Elementary School in Yorktown Heights had 60,000 ppm of PCBs (equivalent to 6.0% PCBs)?
• Did you know that PCBs had migrated/leached to the surface of masonry caulking? The wipe sample of the caulk yielded 22,700 ug/100 cm2.
• Did you know that a piece of window caulking from the French Hill Elementary School contained 277,600 ppm of PCBs?
• Did you know that a building at the University of Rhode Island was contaminated due to PCBs in the window caulking and other building materials?
• Did you know that SUNY Oswego has PCBs contaminated soil?
• Did you know that Mahar Hall at SUNY Oswego had PCB-laden window caulk?
• Did you know that New Bedford High School has PCB contaminated caulk and soil?
• Did you know that the University of Massachusetts at Amherst has PCB contaminated caulk and soil?
• Did you know that the library at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst had PCB contaminated indoor air?
• Did you know that construction workers who handle caulking material generally have no knowledge of its PCBs content and may contaminate themselves and your child during the removal process?
• Did you know that PCB-laden caulk from a building in Europe had contaminated the soil 10 meters out?
• Did you know that the Stockholm Convention requires governments to take steps to reduce the release of PCBs with the goal of their minimization and, where feasible, ultimate elimination?
• Did you know that PCBs can also be absorbed through the skin following contact with contaminated caulking, equipment, water, or soil?
• Did you know that an important source of PCBs in contemporary outdoor air is the ventilation of contaminated indoor air?
• Did you know that the standard procedure to carry out sanitation of PCB-containing sealants is to carefully remove the sealant with a knife and then grind 1-2 mm in the concrete?
• Did you know about the EPA Draft Approval and Denver Water Plan to Encapsulate PCB Contaminated Concrete at the Martson Basin #4?
• Did you know that schools are not mandated to test for PCBs in caulking?

This protocol has been developed in consultation with the New York State Department of Health, Division of Environmental Health Assessment, Bureau of Toxic Substance Assessment to address concerns about properly managing caulk containing PCBs that will be disturbed during building renovation and maintenance ... NYS Education Department Facilities Planning June 2007

The standard procedure to carry out sanitation of PCB containing sealants is carefully remove the sealant with a knife and then grind 1-2 mm in the concrete... Research and Development in Sanitation Technology for PCB-containing Sealants

From our experience, an irregular distribution of PCB burdens may occur even in building construction in one phase. One phase for these variations is that the PCBs were added to the sealants as a plasticizer directly during construction. The amount of PCBs added to the sealants depends on the actual temperature, because lower temperatures demand more plasticizer ... Proceedings: Healthy Buildings 2003

Environmental health researchers at Harvard School of Public Health have identified caulking and sealing materials as an unrecognized and possibly widespread source of PCB contamination in schools and buildings constructed in the 1960s and 1970s ... New York State Education Department Office of Facilities Planning Newsletter #56 Oct. 2004 *

Studies of teachers in schools containing PCB caulking concluded that there was heavy indoor air contamination with low chlorinated PCBs, causing a significant increase of PCB blood levels... Dr. Bob Herrick of the Harvard School of Public Health Feb. 2005

Investigations since the early 1990s have provided evidence that occupancy of buildings containing PCB-rich construction materials can result in elevated serum PCB levels ... Summary of studies on occupants of PCB-containg buildings by Dr. Bob Herrick of the Harvard School of Public Health 2005

Future reductions in PCB concentrations in outdoor air and ultimately human exposure best achieved by action to remove remaining sources of PCBs from existing structures ... Environmental Science & Technology 2007

"Besides volatilization into air, joint sealants containing PCB must be considered a relevant source of emissions of PCB into soil and water, as well"... Environmental Science & Technology 2005 *

"Studies of serum PCB levels, the elevations in PCB 28, 52 and 101 comparing students, and residents of PCB-containing buildings with controls are not small, in fact there are order of magnitude differences, up to 30 fold elevations. And there is evidence that these non-dioxin like congeners have greater neurotoxicity than the more highly chlorinated congeners" ... Dr. Bob Herrick of the Harvard School of Public Health

"A spokesman for the State Department of Health said the cleanup was the first the agency was aware of involving PCB contamination from caulk"... New York Times July 4, 2005 (If there is an advertisement, click Skip Ad to see article)

"PCBs in window caulking in schools with subsequent contamination of the soils around schools, is an open invitation for exposure to children" ... David Carpenter M.D. March 2004 *

Caulk containing PCBs found in local buildings... KIROTV Seattle, Washngton 2004

PCB contamination has been discovered in caulking at an elementary school. Improper cleanup has resulted in soil contaminaiton around the facility ... NYS Education Department Newsletter August 2005

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PCB contaminated soil due to PCB-laden window caulking at French Hill Elementary School in Yorktown Heights, NY Approximately 38,000 square feet of soil excavated. Soil delineation and clean-up ordered by Board of Health. Click on link to see more photos. Photos of Caulk

PCB contaminated masonry caulking on front column at the French Hill Elementary School in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. Note: Chalk writing by children on PCB-laden caulk. Caulk contained 60,000 ppm of PCB (Aroclor 1254 and 1260) Caulk is 6.0% PCB Wipe sample of caulk yielded 22,700 ug/100 cm2. (Magnitude of PCBs justified encapsulation) Consultant never saw such high wipe readings. PCBs migrated/ leached to the top surface of caulk. Link to French Hill Final PCB Report Click on link to see more photos. Photos of Caulk

PCB soil remediation at IS 181 (Pablo Casals) in the Bronx, New York

Medford High School, Medford MA with PCB-laden caulk. Caulk has 5,970 ppm of PCB (Aroclor 1254) Is the soil contaminated with hazardous levels of PCB? Are the students and staff breathing hazardous levels of PCB? Click on link to see more photos. Photos of Caulk

Locke Middle School in Billerica, MA. with PCB-laden caulk. Caulk has 5,010 ppm of PCB (Aroclor 1254) Is the soil contaminated with hazardous levels of PCB? Are the students and staff breathing hazardous levels of PCB? Click on link to see more photos. Photos of Caulk Photo and sampling information taken by anonymous individual.

PCB-laden masonry caulk falling off Locke Middle School in Billerica, MA. Caulk has 5,010 ppm of PCB (Aroclor 1254) Is the soil being contaminated with hazardous levels of PCB due to erosion? Click on link to see more photos. Photos of Caulk

PCB-laden masonry caulk breaking down Locke Middle School, Billerica MA Caulk has 5,010 ppm of PCB (Aroclor 1254) Is the masonry contaminated with hazardous levels of PCB? Click on link to see more photos. Photos of Caulk

PCB-laden caulk contaminating the soil at the French Hill Elementary School, Yorktown Heights, NY. Click on link to see more photos. Photos of Caulk

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Dr. Daniel Lefkowitz

| ph: 914-245-8671 |

Email: info@pcbinschools.org

(c) 2005