A potential health hazard might be lighting up schools in Queens.
In a recent study, 772 schools out of the city’s 1,200 were found to have potentially dangerous lighting fixtures.
Natalie Ravitz, Director of Communications for the Department of Education, stated that 192 schools located in Queens “are likely to contain light fixtures with PCBs.” PCB, or polychlorinated biphenyl, is known to cause cardiovascular, endocrine, immune and cognitive disabilities.
In children, the problem is more acute. Long-term exposure can be associated with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), increased aggression and cognitive disabilities.
Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal enacted Article 23 on February 23, which urges the replacement of lighting fixtures that possibly contain PCBs in buildings that are used as schools and were constructed between 1950 and 1978.
Schools Chancellor Cathie Black said that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Health both noted that there is no immediate health risk to students in buildings with PCBs.
“This is a progressive plan to increase energy efficiency at our schools and simultaneously address the issue of PCBs in old fixtures,” she said. “Given that both the EPA and the Department of Health have said there is no immediate health threat to students in these buildings, we believe this is the most responsible way to proceed. This plan can be accomplished without any significant interruption to student learning and it will generate significant energy savings in the long run.”
The city’s plan to remove and replace all PCB lighting ballasts throughout the entire school system will also increase energy efficiency and environmental quality, according to Black. At $708 million, the plan would take a span of 10 years to complete, a fact that Congressmember Jerrold Nadler called “unacceptable.”
“Continued exposure to toxic PCBs will continue to place our children, teachers and school staff at risk,” said Nadler. “We cannot ignore the urgency of this very real and growing public health problem, and the city must act quickly to remove these dangerous chemicals from our schools."
However, light leaks aren’t the only issue. Caulking in the buildings is another source of PCB exposure that may be overlooked.
“While the progress is welcome, I am concerned that the reports of the city’s plan only includes replacing the light fixtures and not the PCB-laden caulking that has been found in many schools,” said Congressmember José Serrano. “It is time to quickly and completely eliminate all the forms of this horrible contaminant in schools.”
Congressmember Joseph Crowley said that students are in school to absorb knowledge, not chemicals.
“Parents should never have to question if the school where their children spend their days might actually make their children sick,” he said.
