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Schools

Parents Push For Quicker Response To PCBs in Schools

Families at PS 146 and MS 448 say they can't wait 10 years.

Last fall, families at and MS 448 learned that their shared building could be contaminated with PCBs found in lighting ballasts and caulking installed between 1950 and 1978. But the schools are far back on the Department of Education (DOE)'s list of hundreds of citywide schools in line for the cleanup—a process that may take up to 10 years. In an article published in today's Brooklyn Eagle, parents reacted to the wait with charges that they are being given "a runaround."

"Since the building contains both an elementary school and a middle school, 'kids may be there 10 years before the building is remediated,' Ilan Kayatsky told the paper. 'We don’t buy that there is no danger unless there is a visible leak from the lights. These decades-old ballasts have been known to volatilize and gas out regardless of visible leaks. Everyone may be exposed. And nothing’s been done.'

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has previously reported that young children may be more vulnerable to PCB’s than adults due to their growth rate, metabolisms, and smaller fat depots where PCBs can be sequestered.

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The article goes on to describe the he-said, she-said between parents, Councilmember Brad Lander's office and DOE officials, each claiming to have sent letters to the opposing party that were never received or responded to.

"We sent a letter and petition to the City demanding action on January 9th, and have not yet received a response,” Kayatsky stated in the Brooklyn Eagle's article.

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Councilman Brad Lander also sent a letter about the issue to the city and the DOE emailed the Brooklyn Eagle a copy of a letter dated January 17 and signed by Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm in reply to the parents’ letter and petition. But Kayatsky maintained that no one at the schools had seen that letter.

According to the article, the City does not plan to alter its timeline.

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