An Unrecognized Source of PCB Contamination in Schools and Other Buildings

Details

• Personal Author:
  Baxter LK ; Herrick, Robert F. ; McClean MD ; Meeker JD ; Weymouth GA
• Description:
  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. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Carcinogens Dust Neoplasms Occupational Health Polychlorinated Biphenyls Safety Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Carcinogen Cancer Developmental Toxin Dusts Dust Sampling Environmental Exposure Hazards Health Effects Organic Chemicals PCB PCBs Polychlorinated Biphenyls Public Buildings Remediation Sampling Schools Ventilation Systems

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• ISSN:
  0091-6765
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  112
• Issue:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20056876
• Citation:
  Environ Health Perspect 2004 Jul; 112(10):1051-1053
• Contact Point Address:
  R.F. Herrick, Department of Environmental Health, Landmark Center, 401 Park Dr., Room 404E, Boston, MA 02215
• Email:
  herrick@hohp.harvard.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2004
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard School of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20030731
• Source Full Name:
  Environmental Health Perspectives
• End Date:
  20050630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1c1b460614e438687031adf853c667fe1658d6881dfb61b3b8d28eac14d4db706d86082ca572c7c405001e7e2ee1ba8f6c96a53260fb30644e28e0b07a1f4f00
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214373/cdc_214373_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 83.36 KB ]