Council Votes to Require DOE to Notify Parents of PCBs in Schools

City Council approved legislation today that would hold the Department of Education accountable for reporting the removal of hazardous PCB-laden light fixtures from over 750 New York City public school buildings.

In November, a study was released by the Department of Education and the School Construction Authority, which found a number of public schools that had lighting fixtures containing PCBs, a highly toxic chemical that was used legally in construction in the 1970s. PCBs can case learning deficits, endocrine disruption and cancer. 

PCBs have been found in the light fixtures P.S. 316 and the Elijah Stroud Middle School, at 750 Classon Ave.,  according to a report. Light fixtures that were leaking have been replaced. The rest are scheduled to be replaced. No PCBs have been found at P.S. 9/M.S. 152/Brooklyn Collegiate Charter School at 80 Underhill Ave. or at P.S. 2, 443 St. Mark's Ave.

Council Member Stephen Levin, D-Park Slope, and Council Member Vincent Ignizio, R-Staten Island, introduced legislation in May that requires the DOE to regularly report on the progress made toward cleaning PCBs from the affected schools around the city, including more than 240 schools in Brooklyn alone.

“The City has a responsibility to be transparent on matters of personal safety and this bill represents the fight to protect our most important citizens,” said Levin in a written statement.  

Earlier this month, to call for the immediate disposal of PCB-laden fixtures from school buildings. 

Studies have shown that PCBs have been linked to behavioral disorders, heart disease, thyroid dysfunction, ADHD, asthma, childhood leukemia, reduced immune function, and more.

A list of schools that have had PCBs removed canbe found here, while a list of schools where corrective action is slated to be taken can be found here.