The discovery of the chemicals polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Burlington High School shuttered the school in 2020 and caused the state to mandate testing for the chemicals in all Vermont schools built prior to 1980. The chemicals were commonly used in construction until they were banned in 1979. According to the EPA, potential health effects of PCBs include cancer, immune effects, reproductive effects, and neurological effects, among others.
Last year, the state rolled out a plan to test the 300-some Vermont schools built before 1980, including six of the Harwood Unified Union School District Schools (Crossett Brook Middle School was built in 1997 and, therefore, not required to test). The testing has not gone per schedule.
Last week, the Vermont House approved the bill H.486, which would put a pause on PCB testing until a task force is assembled. As of last week, PCBs were discovered in 10 schools that had been tested so far, which the state expects will cost those schools tens of thousands of dollars on mitigation. While Act 178, which passed last year set aside $32 million for remediation of the dangerous chemicals, a report released in January by the Department of Environmental Conservation said, “Based on early results from the first schools that have been tested, it is unlikely the funding under Act 178 will be sufficient to cover the full cost of this work in every (affected) school building.”
So, we know these chemicals exist in some Vermont schools but the state’s funding likely won’t cover the cost of making our schools safe. If the testing is paused, it is unknown exactly when we’ll know which schools do, in fact, contain these chemicals that could cause serious health problems for our students, staff, and everyone in the school buildings.
Why wasn’t the task force assembled and a plan, along with the necessary funding, put in place at the time the state determined this was a problem in some of our schools? How long will we have to wait to find out if our schools could harm the health of students and staff? How can we ensure the safety of our children when we don’t actually know what’s in our schools? Stay tuned to see if this bill passes in the Senate and what comes next.
-ENF
