EPA: Aging Caulk in Hundreds of Schools May Pose Cancer Risks

[The Straight Story]

EPA: Aging Caulk in Hundreds of Schools May Pose Cancer Risks

Old caulking around windows and doors in hundreds of school buildings around the United States may contain cancer-causing PCBs and pose a substantial cancer risk to millions of students, the Environmental Protection Agency is warning.

The EPA is advising schools and parents about the risks and urging them to test old caulk and remove it if necessary to abate PCBs found in substantial amounts.

PCBs – formally called Polychlorinated biphenyls – are toxic chemical compounds once used in hundreds of construction, electrical, and industrial products, particularly in machine coolants and fluids. The chemicals also were widely used in caulk to make the products more flexible.

While the use of PCBs was banned in the United States in the late 1970s, hundreds of older school buildings built before then may still be sealed with window and door caulk containing potentially hazardous PCBs, the EPA said.

http://www.attorneyatlaw.com/2009/09/epa-aging-caulk-in-hundreds-of-schools-may-pose-cancer-risks/