SMMUSD: Malibu Schools Don't Need More Testing

In response to the Malibu City Council taking up a resolution calling for more testing and total eradication of contamination at several Malibu public schools, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District issued this statement:

For several months the district has been working to get answers to questions surrounding PCBs at Malibu High School. We have been following the direction and guidelines set by the scientific experts at the government oversight agencies, including the state Department of Toxic Substances Control and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Following months of testing, EPA has been very clear that they are not recommending that the district conduct more testing, since the air and surface wipe tests have indicated that the Malibu High School buildings are safe, per EPA benchmarks.

We understand this complex and emotional issue raises many questions, including what is the appropriate level of testing and mitigation. But we have placed our confidence in the oversight agencies to answer these questions. We have been coordinating both new information and next steps with Malibu City Council members, as a courtesy, since they are a separate yet interested governing body in the community.

We will forward the resolution to the oversight agencies in order to keep them fully informed of the City Council’s expressed concerns. As a public school district with no direct expertise in this matter, the responsible thing for us to do is to rely on scientific experts to guide our path forward. As the EPA and DTSC are the experts, we will continue to trust their oversight and guidance.

PHOTO Malibu High School. Patch file photo.