PCB Removal at PS 146 To Commence Later This Week

Lighting ballasts contaminated with PCBs inside of PS 146, The Brooklyn New School will be removed in three days, announced a press release Monday afternoon.

Local politicians including , Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Borough President Marty Markowitz, Assemblywoman Joan Millman and Councilmember Brad Lander released a joint statement welcoming the action being taken by the DOE to rid the school of contaminants, while urging them to do the same at the remaining .

DOE initially reported that the building was potentially contaminated but the fixtures would not be removed for another 10 years. After parents and elected officials rallied outside of the school last week, DOE conducted a secondary inspection and discovered leaks.

Deputy Chancellor Kathleen at a District 15 Town Hall meeting that the school had been pushed to the top of the list for remediation.

"Thank you to DOE for listening to parents' concerns and expediting work to deal with PCBs at P.S. 146 and M.S. 448. This is good news for our students, our teachers, and our entire community," said Sen. Daniel Squadron in the joint released statement. "But too many students and teachers throughout the city are in potentially contaminated buildings for very long periods of time—and ten years is simply too long to wait when there is a risk. I hope DOE will quickly undertake similar additional inspections, like it did here, to ensure the health and safety of students and teachers around the city."