New Legislation Seeks To Eradicate PCBs In NY Schools

Much ado about nothing.

CBS(New York) reports,

Mayor Bloomberg signed legislation today relating to the notification and reporting of the possible presence of PCBs in city schools. The presence of toxic PCBs in schools has been a hot button issue for parents for a long time.

Earlier this month elected officials called for the Department of Education to shorten its cleanup timetable.

City officials had announced a 10-year plan in February to replace aging fluorescent lights in schools, but community groups and politicians think the plan is way too slow because the lighting fixtures can leak PCBs over time.

At the time Congressman Jerrold Nadler had accused the city of dragging its feet.

“Throw it under the rug,” he said. “Don’t tell the parents and maybe they won’t put the pressure on city hall to stop the threat to the lives and health of our kids, that’s what this is really about.”

Health officials also sounded a warning about the effect of the toxins on women.

“They cause abnormal menstrual cycle. They cause infertility,” said Dr. David Carpenter with the SUNY Albany Institute for Health and the Environment. “The majority of teachers in New York City public schools are women of reproductive age.”

He added that many women exposed to PCBs will also suffer from reduced IQ.

But as pointed out in Claus Globig’s PCB lecture, there is no evidence that exposures to PCBs harm human health.