Two more years are needed to test schools for PCBs, say environmental officials

Last year, $4.5 million was allocated by lawmakers to test all Vermont schools built before 1980 for PCBs. The deadline was July 1, 2024. The legislation was passed in response to the discovery of PCBs in Burlington High School’s fall 2020. The school district was preparing for major renovations that would eventually lead to the closure of the campus. Burlington school commissions voted last year to demolish the existing building and construct a new one on the high-school’s Institute Road campus.

State officials have prepared to conduct statewide PCB testing by surveying all schools to find out which ones are eligible, and contracting with six environmental consultants to do the work. They have also updated their guidance, which details what schools should do if certain levels are detected. 

Last week, however, the Senate Education Committee met with Peter Walke, DEC Commissioner, and Patricia Coppolino, senior environmental program manager. They informed lawmakers that they won’t be able to respond to schools with high levels of PCBs by the 2024 deadline.

“I think we set ourselves up for an inability to provide that level of service that Vermonters are going to want in response to the discovery of PCBs in school if  we try to rush the testing process,” Walke told lawmakers.

Out of the approximately 450 schools in Vermont, 318 are eligible for PCB testing. They were constructed or renovated during the time when the chemicals were still being used in building materials, such as tile adhesive, lighting ballasts, and window caulk. Coppolino said that 70 additional schools have yet not responded to the survey that determines eligibility.

Walke stated that tests will cost between $15,000 to $20,000 per school. The entire testing process, from finding out which rooms need to tested to returning the results to the community, will take six to eight week.

Coppolino spoke out Tuesday about his desire to push the deadline.

“It’s a lot, and it’s technical data, and I want staff to have the opportunity to carefully review everything.” [and]Coppolino said that the schools need to be provided with considerate responses and assistance. “Sampling schools is simple, but it doesn’t consider what happens if indoor air problems are identified at a school.

Coppolino stated that testing will likely start between April and June this year. 

Last week, Senator Brian Campion (D-Bennington), questioned Walke, Coppolino and Coppolino over whether it was wise for the testing process to be extended, as it could mean that students are exposed to more harmful chemicals for longer periods of time. Walke stated that the DEC would ensure that schools most susceptible to contamination, such as those built between 1960 and 1980, would be given first priority for testing.

The funding for PCB cleanup is an important question. Act 74 gives the DEC the authority, but not funds, to require remediation of elevated levels PCBs.

Campion asked Walke last week to contact Vermont’s federal delegation in order to obtain funds to fix any contamination. Walke also suggested working with the attorney General’s office to file lawsuits in order to receive funding. Monsanto, which was the only producer of PCBs in America from 1935 to 1977 has recently been reintroduced. Parents, students, and teachers were paid millions for being exposed to the chemicals by light ballasts containing PCB-laden light bulbs at Sky Valley Education Center in Washington..

The DEC plans on presenting a more detailed timeline to testing to legislators this spring. To extend the testing deadline beyond 2026, lawmakers would need to pass new legislation.