EPA Urges Schools to Check for Caulk Containing PCBs

Now-Banned Chemical May Be Found in Hundreds of Schools, Federal Agency Says

The danger to students is uncertain, and the EPA does not know for sure how many schools could be affected. But the agency is telling schools that they should test old caulk and remove it if PCBs turn up in significant amounts.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said PCBs remain in schools and many other buildings built before the chemicals were banned in the late 1970s. Formally known as polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs were widely used in construction and electrical materials.

“We’re concerned about the potential risks associated with exposure to these PCBs, and we’re recommending practical, common-sense steps to reduce this exposure as we improve our understanding of the science,” Ms. Jackson said in a...