PCBs Contamination Closes Library, Gym at Twin Valley Elementary

A sign outside Burlington High School in fall 2020 Credit: File: Luke Awtry

As Vermont lawmakers debate the fate of an ambitious, first-in-the-nation program to test hundreds of schools for PCBs, another community is dealing with the fallout from finding elevated levels of the chemicals in parts of its school.

Administrators at Twin Valley Elementary School in Wilmington were told in late March that the pre-K-5 school’s gymnasium and library — as well as a hallway connecting the two spaces, a technology office and a boiler room — far exceeded the state’s “immediate action levels” for airborne PCBs. Under state guidance, that means the space cannot be used until the concentration of chemicals is lowered.
Vermont’s immediate action levels range from 90 to 300 nanograms per cubic meter; the levels vary by people’s ages. The school gym’s concentration was 570 nanograms; the library’s, 400; a hallway’s, 580; and the technology office’s, 450. In an April 5 letter to families, Twin Valley principal Rebecca Fillion outlined the measures the school is taking to limit students’ exposure to PCBs: Physical education classes are being conducted outside; library and technology classes are taking place in classrooms; and third and fourth graders are eating lunch in their classrooms to free up the cafeteria for other activities.

The school district also ordered charcoal filters for the rooms with elevated PCB levels. Those are slated to be delivered and installed this week. Then the air will be retested, Fillion said in an email on Tuesday. At Charlotte Central School, charcoal filters lowered the airborne PCB levels in the school’s kitchen last month.

Families had mixed reaction to the news, Fillion said. One family decided to homeschool for the rest of the school year and two other families pulled their children out of school until the air filters are installed.

In a 90-minute community forum with officials from the state’s education, health and natural resources agencies on April 3, Twin Valley parents made their concerns clear. Some wondered whether their kids’ current health issues might be caused by the PCBs in the school building or if they should test their children’s blood for the chemicals. One wondered if it made sense to keep all students out of the school building until the PCB levels were lowered.

State officials assured parents that the school district was taking appropriate steps to keep students safe while acknowledging that their concerns were valid.

“I’m sorry this is what I’m sharing with you,” said Trish Coppolino, senior environmental program manager for the Department of Environmental Conservation.

As Twin Valley contends with its PCB problem, a bill that would pause the statewide PCB testing program and roll it into a broader, evolving school construction initiative is making its way through the legislature. H.486, which was approved by the House on March 29, would allow any PCB testing currently under way to continue. The legislation calls for the state to cover expenses stemming from any PCB mitigation or remediation thus far.

Results are back from several dozen schools so far, and at least one-third of them have actionable levels of PCBs. The bill would also allocate up to $16 million toward PCB remediation at the former Burlington High School.

State education and health officials have said in recent weeks that they don’t believe the PCB testing program should be paused. But state senators are currently considering the legislation. During an April 6 walkthrough of the bill in the Senate Committee on Education, Senator Nader Hashim (D-Windham) said he’d like to see the PCB testing program better aligned with bigger school construction initiatives.

“Why would we do testing if the building is going to be demolished for future construction — because that testing is pricey,” Hashim said. “I do want to make sure that PCB testing that does happen informs the construction process … in order to minimize waste.”
Senator Martine Gulick (D-Chittenden-Central) questioned whether the state had an adequate process in place to deal with situations that require actions.

“I think part of the pause would … be to put a more robust program-slash-system in place so that you don’t incite panic and fear,” said Gulick, who is also a Burlington school commissioner. “The way it is right now is causing problems, and it’s extremely costly.”